SCOTLAND

Departmental Official Cars

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on what date  (a) he and  (b) each other Minister in his Department last used a ministerial car while travelling in an official capacity; and how many times (i) he and (ii) each other Minister in his Department has travelled to their constituency in a ministerial car since May 2010.

Michael Moore: The Scotland Office contract with Government Car Service was terminated in January 2011 at my request. In line with the practice of the previous Administration, a private car hire company is used for any official travel in Scotland.

Departmental Public Transport

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on what date  (a) he and  (b) each other Minister in his Department last travelled by (i) London Underground and (ii) public bus services on government business; how many times (A) he and (B) each other Minister in his Department has travelled by each such form of transport on government business since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Moore: The Scotland Office does not keep a record of individual journeys taken by Ministers on public transport.

Departmental Public Transport

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many of his ministerial team have been issued with  (a) an Oyster card and  (b) a (i) monthly and (ii) annual travel card valid on London Transport and paid for by his Department for use while travelling on Government business.

Michael Moore: Scotland Office Ministers have not been issued with an Oyster card or a London Transport travel card.

Departmental Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department has spent on ministerial travel by  (a) ministerial car,  (b) train,  (c) bus,  (d) commercial aircraft and  (e) private aircraft since May 2010.

Michael Moore: The information requested is provided in the following table. Please note that since January 2011 the Scotland Office no longer has a contract with Government Car Service.
	
		
			  May 2010 to February 2011 
			   £ 
			 Ministerial car 46,237 
			 Train 995 
			 Bus 0 
			 Commercial aircraft 6,954 
			 Private aircraft 0

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Motions: Audio Recordings

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2010,  Official Report, column 960W, on Motions: audio recordings, what progress the House of Commons Commission has made on placing on the parliamentary website a sound recording of the debate held on a Motion of no confidence in the Government on 28 March 1979; and if he will make a statement.

John Thurso: The 1979 audio recording of the debate held on a motion of no confidence in the Government on 28 March 1979 has been published on the Living Heritage page on the Parliament website.

Security: Parliament

Nicholas Soames: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many passes to enter the Palace of Westminster have been issued in each category since May 2010; how many of these were issued to hon. Members' staff acting  (a) as secretaries,  (b) as research assistants and  (c) in other capacities; and what estimate the Commission has made of the number of research assistants in possession of a valid pass at the latest date for which figures are available.

John Thurso: The number of passes issued in each category since May 2010 are in Table A. The number of passes issued to hon. Members' staff acting  (a) as secretaries,  (b) as research assistants and  (c) in other capacities are in Table B; those currently on issue in these categories are shown in Table C.
	All figures given for passes issued since May 2010 include those that have been replaced because they have been lost or stolen, temporary passes issued because passes have been left elsewhere and routine renewals of passes.
	
		
			  Table A : Number of passes issued since May 2010 
			  Pass category  Number issued since May 2010  Current valid passes on issue 
			 Contractor Works 1,485 1,125 
			 Contractor Works Escort 462 274 
			 Excluded Hereditary Peer 30 83 
			 Former Member 228 351 
			 Full Pass Holder House of Commons 1,237 1,707 
			 Full Pass Holder House of Commons Officer 307 314 
			 Full Pass Holder Staff of Both Houses 1,429 1,434 
			 Full Pass Holder Staff of Both Houses Officer 86 93 
			 Full Pass Holder House of Commons Whips 95 62 
			 Full Pass Holder House of Commons Members Library 4 4 
			 Full Pass Holder House of Lords 372 924 
			 Full Pass Holder House of Lords Officer 99 100 
			 Full Pass Holder House of Lords Whips 33 28 
			 Government Department Staff 2,074 1,801 
			 Government Department Staff Escort 380 258 
			 Gymnasium 90 91 
			 MEP 27 21 
			 Media 116 89 
			 Media Escort 25 28 
			 Media Gallery 87 77 
			 Media Lobby 266 242 
			 Members of Parliament 1,067 650 
			 Peers Staff 624 587 
			 Peers 458 821 
			 Restricted Pass Holder 479 342 
			 Restricted Pass Holder Driver 92 99 
			 Restricted Pass Holder Escort 80 46 
			 Restricted Pass Holder Tour Guide 239 198 
			 Retired Officer 9 17 
			 Staff of Both Houses 637 530 
			 Staff of Both Houses Escort 258 116 
			 Staff of House of Commons 231 117 
			 Staff of House of Commons Escort 25 6 
			 Staff of House of Lords 145 107 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Members staff passes issued since May 2010 
			   Number 
			 Research Assistant 2,941 
			 Secretary 548 
			   
			  Other:  
			 Chauffeur 1 
			 Intern 315 
			 Media Advisor 2 
			 Party Staff 1 
			 Press Officer 4 
			 Work Experience 16 
			 APPG passes 31 
		
	
	
		
			  Table C: Members staff passes currently on issue (March 2011) 
			   Number 
			 Research Assistant 1,222 
			 Secretary 328 
			   
			  Other:  
			 Intern 165 
			 Media Adviser 1 
			 Party Staff 1 
			 Press Officer 2 
			 APPG passes 19

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the deployment of helicopters to Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: Helicopters make an essential contribution to current operations in Afghanistan. The Government will continue to ensure that deployed helicopter numbers and flying hours meet our operational requirements.

Air Force: Manpower

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the potential effects on the economy of reductions in Royal Air Force service personnel.

Andrew Robathan: In November 2010 following the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) the Ministry of Defence conducted a sustainability appraisal into the effects of the decisions taken. Further work is ongoing to identify the impact of manpower reductions as well as the rationalisation of Defence estates and equipment on the local economy and employment. This work is not specific to the numbers of RAF service personnel.

Infrastructure Security and Resilience Advisory Council

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who sits on the Infrastructure Security and Resilience Advisory Council; how many times it has met since its inception; what the agenda items were for each such meeting; and what powers the Council has.

Nick Herbert: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are committed to ensuring that dialogue with industry is effective and comprehensive and so better addresses the risks of disruption to national infrastructure. Examples of work in this area include meetings of an advisory body representing industry and regulators. This has supported the work that has led to the publication for consultation on 1 March of the guide to improving resilience to natural hazards and the recent discussions with industry on the risks posed in the area of cyber security. The Infrastructure Security and Resilience Advisory Council has not yet been set up and the Government are using existing arrangements with industry to consider the establishment of a senior umbrella group with advisory functions in this area.

Military Aircraft: France

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what discussions his Department has had with the French Government on using the Breguet Atlantique maritime patrol aircraft;
	(2)  whether the French Government has offered his Department use of the Breguet Atlantique maritime patrol aircraft.

Peter Luff: Ministry of Defence officials have regular discussions with their French counterparts on a wide range of issues, including anti submarine warfare capability. We have no plans to use the Breguet Atlantique maritime patrol aircraft.

Storm Shadow Missile

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of one Storm Shadow missile; and what assessment he has made of the value for money of the Storm Shadow missile.

Peter Luff: holding answer 28 March 2011
	Storm Shadow provides the UK with a unique capability for precision strike against high value hardened targets such, as command bunkers without exposing aircraft and crews to high threat levels. The missile was procured in co-operation with France following an international competition. Storm Shadow missiles which were contracted for in 1997 are now held on the Ministry of Defence's balance sheet at a value of some £790,000 per missile. This figure includes the costs of producing an integrated weapon system and not just the purchase cost of the missile. In addition, a further £160 million was incurred by the UK in development costs.
	The Ministry of Defence now takes a portfolio approach to procuring complex weapons. This was launched in April 2010 and will secure significant efficiencies across the breadth of the complex weapons portfolio over the next 10 years and beyond and is designed to meet the UK's military requirements and safeguard our sovereign capability.

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken in response to the recommendations of his Department's report, SDSR: Lessons Identified; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Fox: The Government will draw on the experience of the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) to inform the next SDSR.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

British Antarctic Territory

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials from his Department are currently based in the British Antarctic Territory.

Henry Bellingham: There are no Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff based in the British Antarctic Territory.

Cote d'Ivoire: Politics and Government

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Cote d'Ivoire.

Henry Bellingham: The political crisis and security situation in Cote d'lvoire is increasingly concerning as former President Laurent Gbagbo refuses to cede power to the rightful winner of last year's poll, President Alassane Ouattara. The impact on the lives of innocent civilians is particularly disturbing. The Government continue to monitor the situation closely, including military advances being made by President Ouattara's forces, and calls on all sides to exercise restraint.
	I welcome United Nations Security Council Resolution 1975, which reinforces and reaffirms the resolve of the United Nations and the African Union to see a swift resolution to the crisis.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs spoke to President Ouattara on 21 March to express support for his position as legitimate Head of State.

Cote d'Ivoire: United Nations

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his UN counterpart on disturbances in Cote d'Ivoire; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: The situation in Cote d'lvoire remains volatile and deeply worrying. The Government are in regular contact with UN counterparts through their diplomatic missions in New York, Geneva and Abidjan. I welcome United Nations Security Council Resolution 1975 which reinforces and reaffirms the resolve of the United Nations and the African Union to see a swift resolution to the crisis.
	We have supported the UN Human Rights Council's recent resolution calling for a commission of inquiry into human rights abuses and we are also supporting a proposed UN Security Council Resolution currently under discussion. More widely, the Government continue to support the African Union's leadership in seeking a swift and peaceful resolution to the crisis.
	The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development (Mr O'Brien) answered an urgent question on the humanitarian response to the crisis in Cote d'lvoire on 31 March 2011,  Official Repor t, columns 519-25.

Former Ministers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 21 March 2011,  Official Report, column 819W, on former Ministers, whether his Department monitors records of the briefings given to former Ministers.

David Lidington: No.

Iran: Politics and Government

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what  (a) reports he has received and  (b) representations he has made to the government of Iraq on the treatment of human rights campaigners in Al Sulaimaniyah; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We do not have any specific information on the treatment of human rights campaigners in Sulaimaniyah. However, we are aware of reports of intimidation and violence being committed against journalists and protestors during recent demonstrations across Iraq, including the Kurdistan region. Following the demonstrations, I released the following statement on 10 March 2011:
	"We have been following events in Iraq closely. We are concerned at a number of reports of harassment of protestors, including political groups associated with the protests, and of violence against journalists and media offices across Iraq. We call on the Iraqi and Kurdish authorities to investigate these incidents and to protect the right to freedom of expression and assembly".
	Our embassy officials in Baghdad regularly discuss human rights issues with senior members of the Iraqi Government, and raise concerns when appropriate.

Iran: Radar

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with his  (a) Israeli,  (b) Palestinian and  (c) Syrian counterpart on reports that British-made Kelvin Hughes SharpEye radars were intercepted by Israeli forces on board the vessel Victoria in March 2011;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the discovery of Kelvin Hughes SharpEye radars on board the vessel Victoria in March 2011; whether this represents a violation of the terms of relevant UN Security Council Resolutions in respect of Iran; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Government officials have held discussions with Israeli officials on this matter; at this time we have not had any discussions regarding the shipment with Syrian or Palestinian counterparts. We are continuing to look into this matter to ascertain whether any further action is necessary, if the items in question are found to be in violation of UN Security Council Resolutions.

Israel: Embassies

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding has been allocated to the refurbishment of the British embassy in Israel; what assessment was made of the need for such expenditure; and when he expects embassy staff to return to the refurbished premises.

David Lidington: In September 2010 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Board and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs approved the funding of £18.998 million for refurbishment of our embassy in Israel.
	A full business case was prepared for the project which highlighted that our embassy building in Tel Aviv falls short of necessary, health and safety and environmental standards and fitness for purpose. We looked at alternative options and concluded the chosen solution was the most effective and that it represented the best value for money.
	Staff will return to the embassy in July 2012.

Israel: Embassies

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost to the public purse is of relocating and accommodating British embassy staff in Israel as a result of the decision to undertake a full refurbishment of the British embassy.

David Lidington: The total cost of relocating and accommodating the staff is £1.399 million. This comprises of £214,000 displacement rent (while works are carried out) and £1.185 million fitting out works and related IT/communications.

Israel: Overseas Aid

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance he has provided to the Government of Israel to prevent terrorism in Israel in each of the last three years; what assistance he plans to provide over the comprehensive spending review period; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The UK and Israel governments regularly discuss counter-terrorism issues. However, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not provided counter-terrorism assistance to the Government of Israel in the last three years, and there are currently no plans to provide assistance in the forthcoming spending review period.

Israel: Science

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage links between the UK and Israel in the fields of science and technology.

Alistair Burt: In November 2010, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs launched the UK-Israel Life Sciences Council, which had its first meeting in Israel on 25 January. The Council comprises 20 top scientists from both sides, and agreed that an important area for UK/Israel scientific collaboration should be the field of regenerative medicine. This will be now become the focus of an enhanced Britain-Israel Research Exchange (BIRAX) fund.

Israel: Terrorism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on  (a) suicide bombings and  (b) terrorist incidents in (i) Jerusalem and (ii) Tel Aviv since January 2011; how many British citizens were (A) killed, (B) seriously injured and (C) injured in each incident; what the sex and age group of each such British citizen was; what recent discussions he has had with (1) the government of Israel, (2) the Palestinian Authority, (3) the government of Egypt, (4) the Arab League, (5) the government of Jordan, (6) his EU counterparts and (7) the United Nations Secretary-General on such incidents; what steps he has taken and plans to take in the next six months at the United Nations in respect of this issue; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Alistair Burt: As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) said on 25 March 2011:
	"I am extremely concerned at the escalating violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories over the past week. We have seen a surge in rockets and mortars launched at Israeli civilians from the Gaza strip. This is abhorrent. Three people have been injured, many more are living in fear. Six Palestinian civilians, including four children, have been killed as a result of Israeli actions in the Gaza strip. We have urged the Israeli Government to ensure everything is done to avoid further civilian casualties while calling for a complete end to attacks on Israel.
	And we have seen the terrible sight-which we hoped belonged to the past-of a bomb at a bus station in Jerusalem. A British woman was killed and more than 30 injured. I condemn this attack in the strongest terms and call for those responsible to be held to account. Elsewhere, we have seen Israeli settlers opening fire on a Palestinian funeral procession, wounding two mourners. Also, another Palestinian was stabbed in an unprovoked attack.
	We condemn the extremists who are instigating this violence and who are deliberately attempting to wreck the chances of peace. We call on all sides to do all that they can to prevent further loss of innocent life, to bring the perpetrators to justice and to reduce current tensions."
	Our embassy in Tel Aviv and our consulate-general in Jerusalem are in regular contact with the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority on these issues. President Abbas has condemned the terrorist bombing in Jerusalem. We are also in regular contact with EU and Arab League partners.

Libya: Foreign Nationals

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) Commonwealth and  (b) other foreign nationals who were evacuated from Libya by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Over 800 foreign nationals from 54 countries were evacuated by the UK, on six Foreign and Commonwealth Office-organised charter flights plus Ministry of Defence ships and aircraft. These included Australian, Canadian and other Commonwealth nationals, as well as US nationals and those of several EU countries.

Middle East: Health Services

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the work of  (a) Israeli medical organisations and  (b) joint Arab-Israeli medical projects.

Alistair Burt: My officials receive regular reports of the work of a number of Israeli and joint Arab-Israeli medical organisations, centres and charity projects and initiatives.
	The UK and Israel have a wide range of joint initiatives in the field of medicine that involve Israelis from all backgrounds. This includes grants for joint scientific research and the announcement by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in November 2010 of the UK-Israel Life Sciences Council. The Council will be chaired by our ambassador, Matthew Gould, and co-chaired by Professor Raymond Dwek of Oxford university and Professor Rivka Carmi, President of Ben Gurion university.

Nightingale Island: Oil

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the effects of the oil slick at Petrel Bay, Nightingale Island; and what assistance his Department is giving to mitigate the effects of the slick.

Henry Bellingham: The Government are extremely concerned by the situation in Tristan da Cunha, part of the British Overseas Territory of St. Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha, arising from the wreck on Nightingale Island of the motor vessel (MV) Oliva. We have been in close touch with the Tristan da Cunha authorities throughout and are ensuring that they have the advice and support they need from across Government and elsewhere.
	We are receiving regular reports on the situation at Nightingale Island from the Tristan da Cunha authorities. Leaked fuel oil from the wreck of the MV Oliva has washed ashore. It has impacted on both protected wildlife and the fisheries on which the islands' economy relies. The Tristan authorities and community are working hard to help the wildlife affected by the oil. The fisheries at Nightingale and Inaccessible Islands will remain closed until testing has shown the catch to be free of any harmful effects of pollution. The longer term impacts on the wildlife and fisheries will take time to assess.
	The responsibility to clean up the damage caused to this precious environment and to compensate the Tristan community for any losses they may suffer lies with the ship's owners and insurers. We are ensuring that they continue to meet this responsibility in full.
	The remoteness of the site and the demanding conditions mean that this is a very difficult operation. Following the initial salvage efforts further equipment and expert personnel are now en route to the islands.

Nightingale Island: Oil

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance his Department is giving to mitigate the effects of the Petrel Bay oil slick on Nightingale Island.

Henry Bellingham: The Government are extremely concerned by the situation in Tristan da Cunha, arising from the wreck on Nightingale Island of the Motor Vessel (MV) Oliva. We have been in close touch with the Tristan da Cunha Authorities throughout and are ensuring that they have the advice and support they need from across Government and elsewhere.
	The responsibility to clean up the damage caused to this precious environment and to compensate the Tristan community for any losses they may suffer lies with the wrecked ship's owners and insurers. We are ensuring that they continue to meet this responsibility in full.
	The remoteness of the site and the demanding conditions mean that this is a very difficult operation. Following the initial salvage efforts further equipment and expert personnel are now en route to the islands.

Palestinians: Politics and Government

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in the west bank; what recent discussions he has had with  (a) the Government of Israel,  (b) the Palestinian Authority,  (c) the Government of Egypt,  (d) the Government of Jordan,  (e) his EU counterparts and  (f) the United Nations Secretary-General on this issue; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: This answer covers the situation in the west bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza. The west bank and east Jerusalem are experiencing continued Israeli settlement construction, which is illegal under international law. Israel's refusal to halt construction is a serious obstacle to peace. We are pushing hard for a resumption of negotiations to resolve final status issues based on clear parameters supported by the international community.
	In Gaza, while we welcomed the limited steps Israel has taken to facilitate the entry of ordinary consumer goods, the continued restrictions on access for dual-use items and the ban on nearly all exports continue to hamper reconstruction and economic revival. This benefits Hamas both financially and politically, while ensuring that ordinary Gazans remain poor and without hope for the future. We do not believe this is in Israel's interests.
	Hamas remains committed to the use of violence to achieve its political goals, most recently witnessed in its use of force against peaceful demonstrators in Gaza and in the barrage of over 50 rockets fired at Israel on 19 March 2011.
	Ministers and officials discuss the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories on a regular basis with key partners including Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Jordan, the EU and the UN. The Secretary of State discussed these issues with President Abbas on 8 March 2011 and Ehud Barak on 17 March 2011.

Palestinians: Politics and Government

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Gaza; what recent discussions he has had with  (a) the Government of Israel,  (b) the Palestinian Authority,  (c) the Government of Egypt,  (d) the Arab League,  (e) the Government of Jordan,  (f) his EU counterparts and  (g) the United Nations Secretary-General on this issue; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: This answer covers the situation in the west bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza. The west bank and east Jerusalem are experiencing continued Israeli settlement construction, which is illegal under international law. Israel's refusal to halt construction is a serious obstacle to peace. We are pushing hard for a resumption of negotiations to resolve final status issues based on clear parameters supported by the international community.
	In Gaza, while we welcomed the limited steps Israel has taken to facilitate the entry of ordinary consumer goods, the continued restrictions on access for dual-use items and the ban on nearly all exports continue to hamper reconstruction and economic revival. This benefits Hamas both financially and politically, while ensuring that ordinary Gazans remain poor and without hope for the future. We do not believe this is in Israel's interests.
	Hamas remains committed to the use of violence to achieve its political goals, most recently witnessed in its use of force against peaceful demonstrators in Gaza and in the barrage of over 50 rockets fired at Israel on 19 March 2011.
	Ministers and officials discuss the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories on a regular basis with key partners including Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Jordan, the EU and the UN. The Secretary of State discussed these issues with President Abbas on 8 March 2011 and Ehud Barak on 17 March 2011.

Somaliland

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff of his Department are based in Somaliland.

David Lidington: There are no Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff based in Somaliland.

Syria: Politics and Government

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Syria.

Alistair Burt: As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said on 31 March 2011, we continue to watch the evolving situation in Syria closely, and are deeply concerned by continuing deaths and violence in Deraa and Latakia. We call on the Syrian Government to uphold their responsibility to protect protesters and to respect the right of peaceful protest and free speech. We call for restraint, particularly from the Syrian security forces.
	We note the announcement of committees to study repeal of the Emergency Law, and to review the 1962 census that resulted in many Kurds in Syria being excluded from Syrian citizenship. We believe it is important for the Syrian Government to address the legitimate demands of the Syrian people. We call for serious political reforms to be brought forward and implemented without delay.

Turks and Caicos Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials from his Department are based in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Henry Bellingham: I refer my hon. Friend to the response from the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr Hague) to the right hon. Member for Paisley and Renfrewshire South (Mr Alexander) on 17 February 2011,  Official Report, columns 993-97W.

Western Sahara: United Nations

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to meet the UN Special Envoy to Western Sahara.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) has no plans to meet Ambassador Christopher Ross, the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy to Western Sahara.
	The Minister of State, my noble Friend Lord Howell met ambassador Ross on 22 June 2010. They discussed the issues of human rights, natural resources and efforts to find a political solution to the conflict. I spoke to ambassador Ross on 31 March 2011 in advance of the publication of the UN Secretary-General's annual report on the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, and of a visit to the region.
	Officials at our mission in New York are also in regular contact with ambassador Ross and his staff.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departmental Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Leader of the House 
	(1)  whether he is issued with an Oyster card paid for by the Office of the Leader of the House for the purposes of travelling on official business;
	(2)  whether he is issued with an annual or monthly travel card valid on London Transport and paid for by the Office of the Leader of the House for the purposes of travelling on official business;
	(3)  what date  (a) he and  (b) each other Minister in his Department last used a ministerial car while travelling in an official capacity; and how many times (i) he and (ii) each other Minister in his Department has travelled to their constituency in a ministerial car since May 2010;
	(4)  how much his Office has spent on ministerial travel by  (a) ministerial car,  (b) train,  (c) bus,  (d) commercial aircraft and  (e) private aircraft since May 2010;
	(5)  what date he last travelled by London Underground while on Government business; and how many times he has travelled by London Underground while on Government business since May 2010;
	(6)  what date he last travelled by public bus while on Government business; and how many times he has travelled by public bus while on Government business since May 2010.

George Young: Section 10 of the Ministerial Code provides guidance on travel for Ministers and makes clear that Ministers must ensure that they always make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements.
	The contract entered into by the previous Administration providing for an allocated ministerial car for Ministers in the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons was terminated in May 2010. I last used a ministerial car on 17 January 2011 and the Deputy Leader of the House last used a ministerial car on 7 February 2011. Neither I, nor the Deputy Leader of the House have ever used a ministerial car to travel to or from our constituencies.
	My office does not issue its Ministers with an Oyster card or an annual or monthly travel card.
	The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons has spent £313.33 on ministerial car travel since May 2010; including £137.02 incurred by the previous Administration. The Office has incurred £388 on the cost of ministerial train travel in the same period. No costs have been incurred for ministerial travel by bus, commercial aircraft or private aircraft.
	When travelling in the course of Government business, both my Deputy and I predominantly travel by bicycle or walk. No separate record is maintained of when I have travelled by London Underground or public bus in the course of Government business. On the occasions that I have done so, including on the last occasion I travelled by London Underground on government business on 24 March, no cost has been incurred to the Office.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

BBC: Northern Ireland

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent discussions  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the future funding of the BBC.

Edward Vaizey: There have been no discussions. The BBC's Charter and Agreement place obligations on the BBC with regard to the nations and regions of the UK.

Broadband: Rural Areas

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with broadband providers on reducing surcharges to users of broadband services in rural areas.

Edward Vaizey: I have had no such discussions. Tariff regimes of private telecoms service providers are commercial decisions and are not regulated by Government.

Museums and Galleries: Finance

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council on entry prices for non-national museums and galleries in receipt of funding from his Department.

Edward Vaizey: Neither the Secretary of State nor I have had any recent discussions with the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council about admission prices for the non-national museums and galleries currently in receipt of Department funding.

Sports: Clubs

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Communities and Local Government on the effects on sports clubs of withdrawal of discretionary rate relief.

Hugh Robertson: In early 2010, the Department held discussions with the Department for Communities and Local Government about the withdrawal of discretionary rate relief. The granting of discretionary rate relief is ultimately a decision for the local authority however the Government believe they have an important role to play in supporting not for profit organisations, recognising the public benefit that they give to their local community. We would expect local authorities to take full account of the central government funding support for discretionary rate relief in making their decisions.
	Certain sports clubs may also be eligible for small business rates relief which we have doubled until 30 September 2012, Eligible organisations with rateable values below £6,000 will pay no rates for that period.
	The Government have also included in the Localism Bill the necessary provisions for discretionary business rates discounts so that local authorities will be able to respond to local circumstances by reducing business rates bills.

Sports: Schools

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effects of charging VAT on construction costs incurred by schools which open sports facilities out of hours.

Hugh Robertson: This issue was highlighted in the Sport and Recreation Alliance's recently published Red Card to Red Tape regulatory burdens review which I commissioned. We are currently considering this issue alongside the report as a whole.

Television: Licensing

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will bring forward proposals to allow venues that currently do not have a television licence to receive one at no charge solely for the purposes of showing via a television receiver the broadcast of the royal wedding on 29 April 2011.

Edward Vaizey: There are no plans to introduce any concessionary television licences for the royal wedding.

Theatre: Tickets

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many free theatre tickets have been provided to people under 26 resident in  (a) the South West and  (b) England under his Department's scheme since 2008.

Edward Vaizey: In February 2009, Arts Council England launched 'A Night Less Ordinary' in association with Metro. The scheme offers free theatre tickets to anyone under 26 at more than 200 venues throughout England.
	 (a) The total number of tickets offered in the south-west region is 23,032. Of these, a total of 19,125 were taken up. These figures cover February 2009 to November 2010.
	 (b) The total number of tickets offered in total through the programme is 444,329. Of these, a total of 317,456 tickets were taken up. These figures cover February 2009 to November 2010.
	The scheme ended on 31 March 2011. Final statistics will be published on the Arts Council website on 12 May 2011.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Environment

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to publish her Department's White Paper on the natural environment.

Richard Benyon: Following the hugely positive response to the consultation, including discussion documents and online survey, we are now taking account of these views and look forward to sharing the Natural Environment White Paper shortly.

Foxes: Urban Areas

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions her Department has had with local authorities on urban foxes.

Richard Benyon: No such discussions have taken place on this issue recently.
	Local authorities have powers under the Local Government Act 2000 to take action to control foxes where they feel it is appropriate.

Hydrofluorocarbons

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effects of implementing the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in respect of the production and use of hydrofluorocarbons on the heat pump industry; and on what date she expects hydrofluorocarbons to be phased out from the heat pump industry.

Richard Benyon: The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer does not currently cover fluorinated greenhouse gases (F gases) such as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). F gases form part of the basket of gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol. Proposals have been put forward to use the Montreal Protocol to phase down the production and use of HFCs and this would affect all types of equipment, not just heat pumps. The UK Government are supportive in principle of an international phase-down of production and consumption of HFCs and will continue to push for the development of one at upcoming Montreal Protocol and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change meetings. As part of this, further detailed analysis of impacts will be conducted.
	There are no plans to phase out HFCs. The proposals put forward to the Montreal Protocol are based on progressively phasing down (rather than phasing out) production and consumption of HFCs over time, while allowing continued HFC use for important equipment or where there are no suitable alternatives. Refrigerant choice in equipment would, therefore, be affected by any progressive cap on HFC availability.

Sewers

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has for the timetable for the transfer of ownership of private sewers and lateral drains to sewerage undertakers following the passage of proposed legislation.

Richard Benyon: It is proposed that transfer should take place on 1 October 2011. We hope to seek parliamentary approval of the regulations this spring, in order to effect the transfer.

Water Charges: South West

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of water bill payers in the south-west who will receive reduced bills as a result of implementation of the Government's proposals in the Budget; and for how many years such reductions will apply.

Richard Benyon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 31 March 2011,  Official Report, column 466W, to the hon. Member for Bristol East (Kerry McCarthy).

Water Charges: South West

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to paragraph 1.156 of Budget 2011, HC 836, how much her Department plans to spend from the public purse on reducing water bills for customers in the south-west; from what date this money will be made available; how many people in each demographic group will be eligible for such payments; and from which of her Department's budgets the expenditure will be drawn.

Richard Benyon: The Government will consult shortly on proposals to address water affordability across England, including the south-west. This will include reforms to the existing WaterSure scheme, the approach to company social tariffs and options for additional Government spending to provide further support. Additional funding will be provided to DEFRA as necessary to deliver this policy, taking into account practical and affordability considerations.

Water Supply: Billing

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether funding for the implementation of proposals to support households  (a) who face water affordability pressures and  (b) in areas with particularly high water bills will be from within her Department's existing allocation for the comprehensive spending review period.

Richard Benyon: The Government pledged in the Budget that we will consult shortly on proposals to support households which face water affordability pressures, and those in areas with particularly high water bills. Proposals include reforms to the existing WaterSure scheme, the approach to company social tariffs and options for additional Government spending to provide further support.
	Additional funding will be provided to DEFRA as necessary to deliver this policy, taking into account practical and affordability considerations.

Water Supply: Billing

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has made an estimate of the number of households in the south-west which will be affected by the measures in respect of water bills announced in the 2011 Budget in the next four financial years.

Richard Benyon: The Government pledged in the Budget that we will consult shortly on proposals to support households which face water affordability pressures, and those in areas with particularly high water bills, such as the south-west. This will include reforms to the existing WaterSure scheme, the approach to company social tariffs and options for additional Government spending to provide further support. Different options will benefit different numbers of households in the south-west.

Water: Meters

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to publish her Department's Water White Paper.

Richard Benyon: holding answer 28 March 2011
	We anticipate publishing the Water White Paper in the autumn.

WALES

Departmental Mobile Phones

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many officials in her Department are provided with mobile communication devices; and how much her Department spent on mobile telephones and related data services in the last year for which figures are available.

David Jones: From April 2009 to the end of March 2010, the last full audited financial year for which figures are available, the Wales Office spent £11,388.06 on mobile phones and related data services for 31 officials.

Departmental Official Cars

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what date  (a) she and  (b) each other Minister in her Department last used a ministerial car while travelling in an official capacity; and how many times (i) she and (ii) each other Minister in her Department has travelled to their constituency in a ministerial car since May 2010.

David Jones: The Secretary of State for Wales, the right hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan) and I shared the ministerial car today as we often do while travelling in an official capacity. The other information requested is not collected centrally and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.
	Section 10 of the Ministerial Code provides guidance on travel for Ministers and makes clear that Ministers must ensure that they always make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements.

Departmental Public Transport

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what date  (a) she and  (b) each other Minister in her Department last travelled by (i) London Underground and (ii) public bus services on government business; how many times (A) she and (B) each other Minister in her Department has travelled by each such form of transport on government business since May 2010; and if she will make a statement.

David Jones: This information is not collected centrally.

Departmental Public Transport

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many of her ministerial team have been issued with  (a) an Oyster card and  (b) a (i) monthly and (ii) annual travel card valid on London Transport and paid for by her Department for use while travelling on government business.

David Jones: None.

Departmental Training

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much her Department spent on staff training in the last year for which figures are available.

David Jones: From April 2009 to end of March 2010, the last full audited financial year for which figures are available, the Wales Office spent £31,055 on staff training.

Departmental Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much her Department has spent on ministerial travel by  (a) ministerial car,  (b) train,  (c) bus,  (d) commercial aircraft and  (e) private aircraft since May 2010.

David Jones: From May 2010 to February 2011, the date to which information is available, the Wales Office spent:
	 (a) £167,588
	 (b) £5,002.70
	 (c) Nil
	 (d) £275.32
	 (e) Nil.

Legislative Competence Order Process

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions she has had on the continuation of the legislative competence order process in non-devolved policy areas.

Cheryl Gillan: The National Assembly for Wales's enhanced law-making powers come into force on 5 May. From that date Part 3 of the Government of Wales Act 2006, under which legislative competence orders are made, ceases to have effect.
	However if, in future, the Government and the Welsh Assembly Government agreed that further powers should be devolved to the Assembly, an order could be brought forward under s.109 of the Government of Wales Act 2006 for approval by Parliament and the Assembly.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Public Transport

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many of his ministerial team have been issued with  (a) an Oyster card and  (b) a (i) monthly and (ii) annual travel card valid on London Transport and paid for by his Department for use while travelling on government business.

Owen Paterson: No one in my ministerial team has been issued with either an Oyster card or monthly/annual travel cards.

Departmental Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  on what date  (a) he and  (b) each other Minister in his Department last travelled by (i) London Underground and (ii) public bus services on government business; how many times (A) he and (B) each other Minister in his Department has travelled by each such form of transport on government business since May 2010; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  on what date  (a) he and  (b) each other Minister in his Department last used a ministerial car while travelling in an official capacity; and how many times (i) he and (ii) each other Minister in his Department has travelled to their constituency in a ministerial car since May 2010.

Owen Paterson: When travelling in Great Britain, I have the same arrangements as the Secretaries of State who served in the previous Government.
	The Minister of State, the right hon. Member for East Devon (Mr Swire) and I use cars provided by the Government Car and Dispatch Agency as and when necessary for official ministerial business (under guidelines provided by the Cabinet Office).
	On becoming Secretary of State I decided not to travel between Great Britain and Northern Ireland on a routine basis by private jet which had been previous practice thus saving the taxpayer large sums of money.
	Decisions about ministerial travel are taken in line with section 10 of the Ministerial Code.

Departmental Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department has spent on ministerial travel by  (a) ministerial car,  (b) train,  (c) bus,  (d) commercial aircraft and  (e) private aircraft since May 2010.

Owen Paterson: The cost of ministerial travel for my Department since May 2010 are as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			  (a) Ministerial Car 21,000 
			  (b) Trains 2,384.93 
			  (c) Buses 0 
			  (d) Commercial Aircraft 55,310 
			  (e) Private Aircraft 0 
		
	
	On becoming Secretary of State I decided not to travel between Great Britain and Northern Ireland on a routine basis by private jet which had been previous practice thus saving the taxpayer large sums of money.
	Decisions about ministerial travel are taken in line with section 10 of the Ministerial Code.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Departmental Official Cars

Maria Eagle: To ask the Attorney-General on what date he last used a ministerial car while travelling in an official capacity; and how many times he has travelled to his constituency in a ministerial car since May 2010.

Dominic Grieve: Exact records are not maintained on my day to day usage of ministerial cars; however, I can confirm that I do make regular use of the ministerial car allocated to my Department.
	The car has never been used for journeys between Westminster and my constituency.

Departmental Public Transport

Maria Eagle: To ask the Attorney-General on what date  (a) he and  (b) each other Minister in the Law Officers' Departments last travelled by (i) London Underground and (ii) public bus services on government business; how many times (A) he and (B) each other Minister in the Law Officers' Departments has travelled by each such form of transport on government business since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Grieve: The Law Officer's do make use of public transport in London on government business but such journeys are not routinely recorded and it is therefore not possible to provide this information.

Departmental Public Transport

Maria Eagle: To ask the Attorney-General whether he has been issued with  (a) an Oyster card and  (b) a (i) monthly and (ii) annual travel card valid on London Transport and paid for by the Law Officers' Departments for use while travelling on government business.

Edward Garnier: Neither of the Law Officers has been issued with any form of travel card.

Departmental Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Attorney-General how much the Law Officers' Departments have spent on ministerial travel by  (a) ministerial car,  (b) train,  (c) bus,  (d) commercial aircraft and  (e) private aircraft since May 2010.

Dominic Grieve: Travel by Ministers is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.
	
		
			  Ministerial travel since 1 May 2010 
			   £ 
			 Ministerial car 105,100 
			 Train 2,480 
			 Bus 0 
			 Commercial aircraft 1,100 
			 Private aircraft 0 
			 Total 108,680 
		
	
	Spend is based on all invoices paid to date and not necessarily costs incurred to date.

Human Trafficking: Prostitution

Peter Bone: To ask the Attorney-General what guidance is provided to the Crown Prosecution Service on the prosecution of men who use prostitutes who subsequently report to the police that such people might have been trafficked.

Dominic Grieve: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) issued guidance to prosecutors in March 2010, before the offence of paying for the sexual services of a prostitute subjected to force, threats or any other form of coercion or deception came into effect on 1 April 2010.
	The guidance defines the meaning of each of the elements of the offence. It also provides guidance on charging practice and outlines the reasons for the introduction of the offence, which is to address the demand for prostitution services and reduce all forms of commercial sexual exploitation. The offence is wider than criminalising those who use prostitutes who may have been trafficked, as it also includes those who use all prostitutes who may be exploited, but who have not been trafficked. There is no specific guidance on the prosecution of men who have reported to the police that the prostitute has been trafficked.

Public Order

Therese Coffey: To ask the Attorney-General if he will direct the Crown Prosecution Service to apply for remand in custody in the case of those charged with public order offences following the disturbances in central London on 26 March 2011.

Dominic Grieve: The decision whether to apply for a remand in custody, in the case of those charged with public order offences following the disturbances in central London on 26 March 2011, will be taken by the Crown Prosecution Service on a case-by-case basis. Remands in custody will only be sought where grounds under the Bail Act 1976 exist to support such an action.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders were  (a) granted and  (b) breached in the criminal justice area covering Poole in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

James Brokenshire: Poole is in the Dorset Criminal Justice System (CJS) area, and 2009 is the latest year for which figures on antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) are available. In that year, 16 ASBOs were issued in the Dorset CJS area and 10 ASBOs issued in Dorset were proved in court to have been breached for the first time.
	An ASBO can be issued in one CJS area and breached in another. ASBOs may also be breached more than once, and in more than one year. As a result, while the latter figure represents instances when an ASBO was breached for the first time in 2009, some of these may be breaches of ASBOs issued in previous years.

Cannabis

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what health risks associated to the use of skunk cannabis her Department has identified; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), the Government's independent expert drug advisers, has assessed the evidence on the health harms of cannabis, including the risks to young people.
	In its latest report, 'Cannabis: Classification and Public Health (2008)', the ACMD found that cannabis has a number of acute and chronic health effects and that prolonged use can induce dependence.
	It also found a probable but weak causal link between psychotic illness, such as schizophrenia, and cannabis use. It further stated that whether this would become stronger with the wider use of higher potency cannabis (sinsemilla-sometimes referred to as 'skunk') was uncertain. There has been no decisive new research since the 2008 ACMD report.
	The ACMD publishes its reports on the Home Office website available via the following link:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/agencies-public-bodies/acmd/

Cannabis

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average THC content of seized skunk cannabis was in the latest period for which figures are available; what the average THC content of cannabis seizures was  (a) five,  (b) 10 and  (c) 20 years ago; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The latest data from the Forensic Science Service Ltd (FSS) show that the average tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content of mature flowering tops from plants, otherwise known as sinsemilla, seized and submitted to the FSS from the 1 January 2008 to the present day was 14.0%. By comparison, during the same period, the average THC content of traditional imported cannabis and cannabis resin was 12.5% and 5.5% respectively.
	Information on average THC levels of cannabis available in the UK prior to 2008 is available in the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs 2008 report 'Cannabis: Classification and Public Health', which can be found on the Home Office website via the following link:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/drugs/acmd/reports-research/
	This summarises data available at that time, including FSS data from 1995 to 2007 and data from the Home Office's Cannabis Potency Study 2008, published by the Home Office Scientific Development Branch. Information on average THC levels of cannabis prior to 1995 is not available.

Crimes of Violence

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on the number of persons convicted of offences of  (a) murder of and  (b) actual bodily harm against a woman in England and Wales in each year since 1998 who had previously stalked or harassed the victim.

James Brokenshire: The requested data relating to actual bodily harm convictions are not collected by either the Ministry of Justice or Home Office.
	Available data relate to offences recorded as homicide by police forces in England and Wales between 2007-08 and 2009-10, and have been extracted from the Home Office's Homicide Index. The following table shows the number of female homicide victims, where court proceedings have resulted in at least one person being convicted of murder and the victim had previously been harassed or stalked by one (or more) of the suspects. Data on whether homicide victims had previously been, harassed or stalked have only been collected since April 2007.
	
		
			  Offences( 1)  currently recorded by the police as homicide of a female resulting in murder conviction where victim was previously stalked/harassed: England and Wales, 2007-08 to 2009-10( 2) 
			  Year( 2)  Number 
			 2007-08 2 
			 2008-09 4 
			 2009-10 8 
			 (1) As at 28 September 2010; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available. (2) Offences are shown according to the year in which they were initially recorded as homicide. This is not necessarily the year in which the incident took place or the year in which any court decision was made. 
		
	
	The data are as at 28 September 2010 and subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available. This is particularly the case for the years presented given the time it can take to bring suspects to trial. It should also be noted that the data do not relate to the number of suspects convicted, and that the victim may not necessarily have been harassed or stalked by the person convicted of murder.

Criminal Records Bureau: Poole

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many residents of Poole constituency were subject to more than one Criminal Records Bureau check in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Lynne Featherstone: The information is not available in the absence of the particular constituency post codes. The Criminal Records Bureau can provide the information requested if you write to the chief executive with the constituency postcodes that apply.

DNA: Databases

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many successful matches there have been between DNA profiles taken and crime scenes and DNA profiles stored on the National DNA Database in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: The table shows the number of matches on the National DNA Database (NDNAD) where one or more DNA subject sample profiles were matched with a DNA crime scene profile for each of the last five years. The figures do not include matches as a result of one-off speculative searches of the NDNAD or from comparing DNA profiles in a forensic laboratory. One-off speculative searches and DNA profile comparisons are used mainly in the investigation of serious crimes such as murder and rape.
	The match figures provided are for all UK police forces.
	The data provided are management information and have not been formally assessed for compliance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of NDNAD matches where one or more DNA subject profiles matched with a DNA crime scene in each year from 2005-06 to 2009-10 
			   Number of NDNAD matches 
			 2005-06 49,247 
			 2006-07 44,224 
			 2007-08 40,406 
			 2008-09 40,687 
			 2009-10 36,399 
			  Note: The figures do not include matches as a result of one-off speculative searches of the NDNAD or from comparing DNA profiles in a forensic laboratory.

DNA: Databases

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many searches of the National DNA Database there have been in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: Each new subject or crime scene sample profile loaded to the national DNA database (NDNAD) is routinely searched against all other subject and crime scene sample profiles on the database.
	In addition, speculative searches of crime scene profiles against the NDNAD are carried out as a specialist service without loading the crime scene profile to the NDNAD. There are two types of speculative searches: premium and standard.
	The following table shows the number of routine searches on the loading of a subject profile, crime scene profiles and premium and standard speculative searches on the NDNAD for each of the last five years. The figures provided are for all UK forces.
	The data provided are management information and have not been formally assessed for compliance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.
	
		
			  Number of searches of the NDNAD by type in each year from 2005-06 to 2009-10 
			   Crime scene profiles loaded and searched  Subject profiles loaded and searched  Premium speculative searches  Standard speculative searches 
			 2005-06 68,774 715,145 (1)286 4,093 
			 2006-07 55,217 722,475 1,299 4,562 
			 2007-08 50,579 591,028 717 5,000 
			 2008-09 49,572 580,174 728 9,788 
			 2009-10 43,974 540,333 560 6,380 
			 (1) Data are only available from December 2005 to March 2006.

DNA: Databases

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the running cost of the National DNA Database was in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: The costs of operating the National DNA Database (NDNAD) in the last five years are shown in the following table. It is not possible to break these figures down into capital and running costs. The costs shown in successive years are not comparable because of changes in the roles of the Forensic Science Service, Home Office and the National Police Improvement Agency (NPIA) over the period.
	
		
			  Table 1: Operating costs of the NDNAD in each year from 2005-06 to 2009-10 
			  £ 
			Costs  Total 
			 2005-06 Operating costs 1,704,343 1,704,343 
			 2006-07 Operating costs 2,569,410 2,569,420 
			 2007-08 Operating costs 2,174,904 2,174,904 
			 2008-09 Operating costs 3,330,500 (1)4,290,500 
			  NDNAD Transition Project 960,000 (1)- 
			 2009-10 Operating costs 2,781,930 (1)6,504,263 
			  NDNAD Transition Project and NDNAD Enhancements 3,594,000 (1)- 
			 (1) Indicates a brace.

DNA: Databases

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions the National DNA Database was inaccessible owing to system error in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: The following table shows the number of occasions in the last four years on which the national DNA database was inaccessible, other than as part of planned maintenance. These occasions may have resulted either from system error or from any other event which resulted in the entire system being unavailable. Information is not available for the period before 2007. On these occasions, no significant degradation in service to the police was experienced and no police investigation was compromised.
	
		
			  Number of occasions when the NDNAD was inaccessible in each year from 2007-08 to 2010-11 
			   Number 
			 2007-08 8 
			 2008-09 9 
			 2009-10 7 
			 2010-11 8

DNA: Databases

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has for the DNA samples and exhibits on the National DNA Database following the winding-down of the Forensic Science Service.

James Brokenshire: The Forensic Science Service (FSS) and other forensic science providers derive DNA profiles from biological samples taken by the police and submit them to the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) for loading onto the National DNA Database (NDNAD). It is the profiles on the NDNAD that are the primary focus of the provisions of the Protection of Freedoms Bill. Consideration is currently being given to the destruction of profiling records held by all forensic suppliers. The NPIA is already working on proposals for the implementation of the Bill should it be given Royal Assent in early 2012.

Domestic Violence

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much she has allocated for assistance to victims of domestic violence in each financial year from 2011-12 to 2014-15.

Lynne Featherstone: For the next four years the Home Office has committed over £28 million of funding for specialist services to tackle violence against women and girls.
	For domestic violence this includes funding:
	Towards the national helplines including the National Domestic Violence helpline, the Men's Advice Line and Broken Rainbow
	To support Independent Domestic Violence Advisers and Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARACs) nationally
	To invest in the training and quality assurance process for MARACs and IDVAs
	To contribute to the running of the joint Home Office/Foreign and Commonwealth Office Forced Marriage Unit.

Drugs

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on implementation of the recommendations of the Third Report of the Home Affairs Committee, Session 2001-02, on the Government's drug policy: is it working, HC 318; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Government's policy on drugs has been clearly articulated in the new Drug Strategy which was published in December 2010.

Fraud: Elections

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were arrested on suspicion of having committed electoral offences in England and Wales in each year since 2005.

Nick Herbert: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	The arrests collection held by the Home Office covers arrests for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only, broken down at a main offence group level, covering categories such as violence against the person and robbery.
	The information requested on arrests for the specific offence mentioned cannot be separately identified from the arrests collection.

Homicide

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many murders there have been for which there has been no conviction in each of the last 30 years.

James Brokenshire: Available data are collected by the Home Office from police forces in England and Wales, and have been extracted from the Homicide Index. The following table shows the number of offences recorded as homicide-murder, manslaughter, infanticide -between 1980 and 2009-10 for which no one has been convicted. It is not possible to separately identify those offences recorded as murder.
	Data are as at 28 September 2010 and subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available. This is particularly the case for offences recorded during 2008-09 and 2009-10 given the time it can take to bring suspects to trial.
	The data include cases for which: the principal suspect committed suicide or died before proceedings could be initiated or before proceedings could be concluded; the suspect was found to be insane; all suspects were acquitted and police investigations are continuing; and, no suspects have been charged.
	
		
			  Offences( 1)  currently recorded by the police as homicide( 2)  not resulting in conviction( 3) : England and Wales, 1980 to 2009-10( 4) 
			   Total offences  Offences with no conviction( 3)  Proportion (%) 
			 1980 535 81 15 
			 1981 501 88 18 
			 1982 557 121 22 
			 1983 482 84 17 
			 1984 537 106 20 
			 1985 536 107 20 
			 1986 563 103 18 
			 1987 600 123 21 
			 1988 547 97 18 
			 1989 521 109 21 
			 1990 554 124 22 
			 1991 622 147 24 
			 1992 581 116 20 
			 1993 566 103 18 
			 1994 633 146 23 
			 1995 662 153 23 
			 1996 586 130 22 
			 1997 608 157 26 
			 1997-98 606 151 25 
			 1998-99 642 153 24 
			 1999-2000 672 214 32 
			 2000-01 765 203 27 
			 2001-02 794 228 29 
			 2002-03(5) 943 384 41 
			 2003-04 772 226 29 
			 2004-05 780 219 28 
			 2005-06 709 247 35 
			 2006-07 715 265 37 
			 2007-08 744 274 37 
			 2008-09 644 257 40 
			 2009-10 619 430 69 
			 (1) As at 28 September 2010; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available. (2) Offences recorded as murder, manslaughter or infanticide. (3) includes cases with outcome of: court proceedings pending; suspect found by court to be insane, suspect died/committed suicide before proceedings were initiated or could be concluded; all suspects acquitted; no suspects charged. (4) Offences are shown according to the year in which they were initially recorded as homicide. This is not necessarily the year in which the incident took place or the year in which any court decision was made. (5) Includes 172 victims of Dr Harold Shipman.

Metropolitan Police Authority: Finance

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect of changes to funding allocation to the Metropolitan Police Authority budget on  (a) police numbers and  (b) Safer Neighbourhood teams in the London borough of Southwark.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 21 March 2011
	The vast majority of funding that the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) receives from central Government is allocated using the Police Allocation Formula (PAF), which allocates funding based on the relative need of forces. It is only right that decisions about how these resources are used are made locally and so no central Government assessment has been undertaken.
	However, on 10 February the Mayor of London announced in his budget statement that he was proposing to increase funding for the Met by £42 million and that this additional funding would be used to recruit police officers and protect Safer Neighbourhood Teams.

Police: Forensic Science

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information she holds on the level of spending by each police force on providing their own forensic science support in each of the last three years; and what estimate she has made of levels of such expenditure in 2011-12.

James Brokenshire: Data collected by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) in their Police Objective Analysis (POA) suggest that total spent on investigative support (excluding external forensics) by 43 forces was approximately £250 million in 2009-10. This figure is estimated to be closer to £260 million for 2010-11 but actuals are not yet available. POAs were first collated in 2009-10 so comparable information is not available prior to this nor is 2011-12 estimated data available.
	Investigative support includes scenes of crime officers, fingerprint and DNA bureaus, photography/image recovery and any other forensics services.

Police: Olympic Games 2012

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect of potential changes to police numbers over the next two years on arrangements for policing the London 2012 Olympics.

Nick Herbert: By improving efficiency, driving out waste, and increasing productivity, the service can make the savings required while protecting its frontline policing capacity, including in relation to the London 2012 Olympics.
	The Government will make up to £600 million available, if required, for additional policing and wider security for London 2012. At this stage, with 16 months before the Games begin, we estimate that it should be possible to deliver the core cross-Government safety and security programme for about £475 million. We will continue to keep security planning and policing for the Games under review, but we are satisfied that sufficient funding has been made available to deliver the security programme in full.

Remand in Custody

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people charged in connection with disturbances in central London on 26 March 2011 have been remanded in custody.

Nick Herbert: The Home Office do not hold this information. As of 30 March, 149 individuals have been charged with offences resulting from the disorder on 26 March.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Children: Poverty

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what dates he consulted the Child Poverty Commission in accordance with the Child Poverty Act 2010 in advance of proposals to publish a Child Poverty Strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Miller: We have not yet established the Child Poverty Commission.
	We believe the Commission must have a remit which will allow it to hold Government to account and drive progress towards reducing child poverty. We cannot justify establishing an independent commission which does not perform these functions effectively. This is why we have chosen to consult with our stakeholders and to carefully consider how the Commission should be taken forward, rather than rushing to set it up.
	Meeting the requirements of the Child Poverty Act 2010 would have meant that a Child Poverty Commission was established for a very short time before replacing it with a new Commission that reflected a different approach from that provided for in the previous legislation. This would have utilised resources and effort that we think can be more properly and efficiently employed in establishing the new and more effective Commission.
	Our plans for establishing a Commission will be set out in the Child Poverty Strategy, to be published shortly

Departmental Procurement

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which procurement projects engaged upon by  (a) his Department and  (b) each non-departmental public body and agency for which he is responsible had a designated senior responsible owner in the latest period for which figures are available; and on what date they were appointed in each such case.

Chris Grayling: I have arranged for the list of procurement projects engaged upon which had a named senior responsible owner by  (a) DWP and  (b) non-departmental public bodies and agencies to be placed in the Library.
	Information relating to the date that each senior responsible owner was appointed is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Public Bodies

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board.

Maria Miller: On 16 March 2011,  Official Report, columns 9-10WS, the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), issued a written ministerial statement updating Parliament on progress on public bodies' reform. That statement also announced that Departments estimate cumulative administrative savings of at least £2.6 billion will flow from public bodies over the spending review period.
	I anticipate net overall administrative savings from the abolition of the Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board over the spending review period of 2011-12 to 2014-15 will be minimal as the board has not been fully operational for some time. Expenditure for 2010-11 was £5,000.

Departmental Public Bodies

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.

Maria Miller: As part of the Public Bodies Bill, the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission will be abolished as a non-departmental public body, and its functions transferred to the Secretary of State as an Executive Agency of the Department.
	The level of savings resulting from this change in status has been estimated as minimal beyond any one off transitional costs. This is because the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission for all practical purposes has almost all the delivery focussed activities of an Executive Agency. The principal differences lie in its legal status and the responsibilities of its board. The decision to change the status of Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission was made to increase ministerial responsibility and accountability for child maintenance policy, and not to generate savings.

Departmental Public Bodies

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the change in function of Equality 2025.

Maria Miller: Following the NDPB review, there has been no change in function for Equality 2025, therefore there are no savings. Equality 2025's remit remains to provide confidential advice to Government on issues that affect the lives of disabled people.

Departmental Public Bodies

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the merging of the Pensions Ombudsman and the Pension Protection Fund Ombudsman.

Steve Webb: On 16 March 2011,  Official Report, columns 9-10WS, the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), issued a written ministerial statement updating parliament on progress on public bodies reform. That statement also announced that Departments estimate cumulative administrative savings of at least £2.6 billion will flow from public bodies over the spending review period.
	I estimate that there will not be any net overall administrative savings from the merger of the Pensions Ombudsman with the Pension Protection Fund Ombudsman over the spending review period.
	The Pension Protection Fund Ombudsman and the Pensions Ombudsman already function as a single operational unit. The merger will formalise the current arrangements by putting them on a statutory basis and so will deliver a more streamlined approach and simplify the pensions institutional landscape.

Departmental Theft

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what items with a value of over £100 have been taken without authorisation from his Department since his appointment; and what steps have been taken to recover such items.

Chris Grayling: The Department does not hold central records itemising assets taken with a value of over £100. Information is recorded at local level and it would incur a disproportionate cost to obtain the information requested.
	The Department's IT equipment is leased from service providers. Excluding lower value items, there have been 41 reported thefts of individual items of equipment, including laptop computers and BlackBerry phone devices since 12 May 2010.
	In all cases of theft the matter is fully investigated and appropriate action taken by the Department. Where the item concerned is not recovered, the police will be informed as a matter of routine.
	In the case of the above items, to date, none have been recovered.

Disability Living Allowance

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) men and  (b) women in each (i) age group and (ii) local authority area received the (A) higher and (B) lower rate of disability living allowance (1) on the most recent date for which figures are available and (2) in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Maria Miller: The information has been placed in the Library.

Housing Benefit: Blaenau Gwent

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of claimants of local housing allowance in Blaenau Gwent constituency  (a) are making additional payments to cover the difference between benefit received and rent paid and  (b) will be required to make an additional payment to cover the difference between benefit received and rent paid from April 2011.

Steve Webb: The information is not available at the constituency level.
	The Department published a document on the 'Two Year Review of the Local Housing' in February 2011, which includes current shortfall values at the Government Office Region level, in Figure 3.3. A copy of the document has been placed in the Library.
	On 23 July the Department published a document on 'Impacts of Housing Benefit proposals: Changes to the Local Housing Allowance to be introduced in 2011-12'. This included estimates of the number of losers and average losses per week for each local authority and each bedroom entitlement category. A copy of the document has been placed in the Library.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Wolverhampton

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of claimants of jobseeker's allowance in Wolverhampton North East constituency who  (a) were affected by his Department's recent changes to entitlement to mortgage interest payments and  (b) will be affected in the 12 months following the change.

Steve Webb: The change in the standard interest rate used to calculate support for mortgage interest applies to all customers who receive that help as part of their benefit.
	In May 2010, the latest period for which figures are available, the number of jobseeker's allowance customers in Wolverhampton North East constituency is given in the table.
	No estimate has been made of the number of jobseeker's allowance customers who will be affected over 12 months following the change to the standard interest rate at which support for mortgage interest is paid.
	
		
			  Jobseeker's allowance claimants in receipt of mortgage interest in the Wolverhampton North East constituency-May 2010 
			   Number 
			 Wolverhampton North East *100 
			  Notes: 1. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Figures are based on 5% sample data. All figures are subject to a degree of sampling variation. 3. Numbers marked "*" are based on very few sample cases and are subject to a high degree of sampling variation. 4. Caseload figures have been uprated by using 5% proportions against 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) data. 5. Due to a problem with the latest data for August 2010, which are being investigated, we have provided data for May 2010 until this is resolved.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5% samples

Mortgages: Wolverhampton

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Wolverhampton North East constituency received support for mortgage interest payments in each of the last five years.

Steve Webb: As requested, Table 1 presents the total number of claimants, in receipt of either pension credit (PC), income support (IS) or jobseeker's allowance (JSA), receiving support for mortgage interest in Wolverhampton North East constituency between August 2006 and May 2010.
	
		
			  Table 1: Total number of claimants of PC, IS, JSA receiving mortgage interest in Wolverhampton North East constituency 
			   PC, IS, JSA claimants receiving mortgage Interest 
			 August 2006 (1)400 
			 August 2007 (1)400 
			 August 2008 (1)300 
			 August 2009 (1)300 
			 May 2010 (1)400 
			 (1 )Numbers are based on very few sample cases and are subject to a high degree of sampling variation.  Notes:  1. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest hundred.  2. Figures are based on 5% sample data. All figures are subject to a degree of sampling variation.  3. Caseload figures have been uprated by using 5% proportions against 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) data.  4. Figures provided are a point in time estimate at August in each year 2006 to 2009.  5. Due to a problem with the latest data for August 2010, which is being investigated, we have provided data for May 2010 until this is resolved.  Source:  Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5% samples.

Remploy: Social Enterprises

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential for Remploy factories to become independent social enterprises.

Maria Miller: The coalition Government believe that social enterprises provide a valuable model to support disabled and disadvantaged people into work.
	Remploy as part of its five year modernisation plan is developing the social enterprise model in five sites including the Bridgend factory. This model focuses on the local market conditions and the skills and expertise of employees in order to identify a suitable and viable social enterprise business. Social entrepreneurs, with the input and support of organisations such as co-operative societies, are supporting the incubation of these businesses.
	Within Bridgend, social enterprise businesses have been developed in recycling and kit assembly and the company will continue to explore, with the factory employees, any social enterprise opportunities in their local area.
	On 2 December 2010, I announced an independent review of the support the Government provide to disabled people who want to work. We will publish the outcome of the review in the summer.

Ritalin: Children

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  for which benefits a household with a child who is prescribed Ritalin qualifies;
	(2)  how many children qualified for disability living allowance as a result of being prescribed Ritalin in each year from 1997 to 2010.

Maria Miller: No benefits are awarded because a person is prescribed a form of medication.
	Entitlement to disability living allowance is not dependant on having a specific health condition or diagnosis, but on whether the severely disabled person needs help with personal care and/or their mobility difficulties.

Social Security Benefits

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Poole constituency are in receipt of  (a) incapacity benefit,  (b) employment support allowance and  (c) disability living allowance.

Maria Miller: The information is provided as follows:
	
		
			  Claimants of employment and support allowance, disability living allowance, incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance-August 2010 
			   Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance  Employment and support allowance  Disability living allowance (in payment) 
			 Parliamentary constituency Poole 2,540 720 3,820 
			  Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. For disability living allowance the totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 3. A claimant can be in receipt of more than one of these benefits and will therefore be counted for each benefit they receive. 4. Incapacity Benefit was replaced by employment support allowance (ESA) from October 2008. 5. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010.  Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received from disability groups on the effect of proposed changes to the  (a) disability living allowance and  (b) independent living fund; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Miller: Since disability living allowance (DLA) reform was announced in the Budget in June 2010, my officials and I have met disabled people and a large number of disability organisations to discuss our proposals. We published a public consultation on DLA reform on 6 December 2010, which ended on 18 February 2011. The Department received a large number of responses to this consultation, with more than 5,000 individual and 500 organisational responses. We are considering these responses and will publish our response shortly.
	The Government's position on the independent living fund was set out in the written ministerial statement issued on 13 December 2010,  Official Report, columns 85-86WS. This made clear that the independent living fund will remain closed permanently to new applications and we will safeguard the position of existing recipients by carrying out a formal consultation on future support for existing ILF users, while continuing to administer their awards throughout this Parliament. This consultation will take place following the publication of the report by the Commission on the Funding of Care and Support.
	I have met with a number of disability organisations and other bodies to discuss the future of the independent living fund. These include the Chair of Equality 2025, the All Party Parliamentary Group on Disability, and the Disability Charities Consortium and the Disabled Peoples Organisations Group.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2011,  Official Report, column 575W, on social security benefits: fraud, if he will estimate the number of investigations of individuals suspected of benefit fraud which have taken more than nine months in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The information requested cannot be estimated from the management information available, as to collate this data would incur a disproportionate cost.

Swimming Pools

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment the Health and Safety Executive has made of the effectiveness in prevention of cryptosporidium of the operation of regulations on water quality in public swimming pools.

Chris Grayling: The regulations covering the quality of water in the UK apply to the supply of water for domestic use. They do not apply to the quality of water in use in swimming pools.
	Swimming pool operators however do have a duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably, practicable, that the public are not exposed to risks to their health and safety when bathing.
	The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) 2002 specifically require pool operators to assess the risks to the health of their employees and bathers from hazardous substances, including microbiological organisms such as Cryptosporidium, and take effective measures to control that risk.
	HSE believes that compliance with these regulations should ensure that the risk of exposure to Cryptosporidium in public swimming pools is reduced, so far as is reasonably practicable.

Third Sector

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department gave to each charity it funds in each of the last five years; and how much it has allocated in funding to each such charity in each of the next five years.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions and its agencies do not ordinarily directly fund charities. The Department does, however, work closely with charities and voluntary organisations to help people access the services and benefits to which they are entitled.
	The Department also encourages a wide range of providers from the voluntary and charitable sectors-alongside providers in the private and public sectors-to contract with it to deliver employment programmes. It is not possible, however, to identify payments made to charitable organisations except at disproportionate cost; the Department's payment systems identify the individual recipients, but do not show the status of those recipients i.e. whether they are private, public, charitable or voluntary sector organisations.

Unemployment: Wales

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will assess the trends in levels of unemployment in  (a) Wales,  (b) Cardiff and  (c) Cardiff North constituency since January 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: Latest figures on the headline ILO measure of unemployment only cover the period up to January 2011 in Wales and September 2010 for localities within Wales. More recent information is available from the seasonally adjusted claimant count, which shows that between January and February 2011 the number of claimants of jobseeker's allowance in Wales fell 1,100 to 70,300. The claimant unemployment rate in Wales in February 2011 was 5.0%, down 0.1 percentage points on the previous month.
	Information on the claimant count in Cardiff and Cardiff North constituency is also available for February 2011, although the figures are not seasonally adjusted so a comparison with the previous month would not provide a reliable guide to the trend in unemployment. The figures in the following table show the latest year-on-year changes in the claimant count in Cardiff local authority district and Cardiff North constituency.
	
		
			   Cardiff local authority district  Cardiff North constituency 
			   Number  Proportion  Number  Proportion 
			 January 2010 9,687 4.2% 1,489 2.6% 
			 February 2010 9,894 4.3% 1,498 2.6% 
			  
			 January 2011 9,739 4.2% 1,449 2.5% 
			 February 2011 9,835 4.2% 1,460 2.6% 
			  
			 Change on year to January 2011 +52 0 -40 -0.1 
			 Change on year to February 2011 -59 -0.1 -38 0 
			  Notes: 1. The claimant count proportions shown are as a proportion of the population aged 16-64. This is different from the unemployment rate which is traditionally calculated as a proportion of the active labour force. Claimant unemployment rates are not available below regional level. 2. Proportions are rounded to one decimal place  Source: Office for National Statistics

Universal Credit

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 21 March 2011,  Official Report, column 869W, on universal credit, in which instances it would be appropriate to split payments of universal credit between partners or spouses in shared households.

Chris Grayling: The answer to which the hon. Member refers sets out the intention to pay universal credit as a single sum per household, including couple households.
	As mentioned, however, there may be exceptional cases that require alternative arrangements and we are considering the circumstances for and details of these alternative arrangements. Alternative arrangements might include dividing payments between two or more parties.
	Further information is available in the universal credit briefing note which has been published on the Department for Work and Pensions website.

Universal Credit

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 21 March 2011,  Official Report, column 869W, on universal credit, what his policy is concerning situations where a couple household requests that the payment of universal credit be split between the two partners or spouses.

Chris Grayling: As already set out, ordinarily the universal credit payment will be made as a single sum to the household. In recognition of the fact that different households organise their finances and budget in different ways, we are allowing couples to decide between them whether the money goes to a joint bank account or to one or other of them. We are not intending that couples will be able to choose for the payment to be divided between them by routine.
	However, there may be exceptional cases that require alternative arrangements and the Government intend to retain power to arrange payments to couples to offer safeguards. We are considering the circumstances for and details of these alternative arrangements, which might include division of the payment. Work is ongoing.
	The Government already have and will retain the power to direct payments to the other partner where there is proven abuse of the money, and this current practice can be triggered by notification by one of the partners. Circumstances for alternative arrangements in exceptional cases could include request or notification by either member of a couple to continue this approach.
	Further information is available in the universal credit briefing note which has been published on the Department for Work and Pensions website.

Universal Credit

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what measure of inflation will be used for the annual uprating of cash payments made to individuals with a potentially lower entitlement under universal credit than under current tax credit and benefit arrangements;
	(2)  whether transitional cash payments to individuals with a lower entitlement under universal credit will continue until there is a change in the financial circumstances of such individuals.

Chris Grayling: Any cash protection awarded to individuals with a potentially lower entitlement under universal credit will not be uprated but will be fixed at the point of transition. It will remain in place until the claimants' circumstances change or the universal credit entitlement exceeds the protected amount.

Winter Fuel Payments

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of the provision of winter fuel allowance to those  (a) aged 60 to 79 at the rate of £250 per year and  (b) aged 80 or over at the rate of £400 per year in (i) Glasgow North East constituency, (ii) Glasgow, (iii) Scotland, (iv) Great Britain and (v) the UK in 2011;
	(2)  if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of the provision of winter fuel allowance to those  (a) aged 60 to 79 at the rate of (i) £200 and (ii) £250 per year and  (b) aged 80 or over at the rate of (A) £300 and (B) £400 per year in (1) Glasgow North East constituency, (2) Glasgow, (3) Scotland, (4) Great Britain and (5) the UK in each of the next four calendar years.

Steve Webb: The information is not available as requested. Forecasts of winter fuel payments are made on financial years rather than calendar years, and estimates for the United Kingdom are not available as the Department for Work and Pensions is only responsible for Great Britain winter fuel payments.
	The information that is available is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Glasgow North East constituency 
			Winter fuel payment expenditure (£ million, in-year prices) 
			  Winter fuel payment rates  Age group  2011-12  2012-13  2013-14  2014-15 
			 £200/£300 79 and under 2 2 2 2 
			  80 and over 1 1 1 1 
			  All ages 3 3 3 2 
			   
			 £250/£400 79 and under 2 2 2 2 
			  80 and over 1 1 1 1 
			  All ages 3 3 3 3 
		
	
	
		
			  City of Glasgow local authority 
			Winter fuel payment expenditure (£ million, in-year prices) 
			  Winter fuel payment rates  Age group  2011-12  2012-13  2013-14  2014-15 
			 £200/£300 79 and under 11 11 11 11 
			  80 and over 5 5 5 6 
			  All ages 17 16 16 16 
			   
			 £250/£400 79 and under 14 14 14 13 
			  80 and over 7 7 7 7 
			  All ages 21 21 21 21 
		
	
	
		
			  Scotland Government office region 
			Winter fuel payment expenditure (£ million, in-year prices) 
			  Winter fuel payment rates  Age group  2011-12  2012-13  2013-14  2014-15 
			 £200/£300 79 and under 130 127 124 122 
			  80 and over 54 55 56 58 
			  All ages 184 182 181 179 
			   
			 £250/£400 79 and under 162 159 156 152 
			  80 and over 72 74 75 77 
			  All ages 235 233 231 229 
		
	
	
		
			  Great Britain 
			Winter fuel payment expenditure (£ million, in-year prices) 
			  Winter fuel payment rates  Age group  2011-12  2012-13  2013-14  2014-15 
			 £200/£300 79 and under 1,447 1,417 1,388 1,358 
			  80 and over 677 691 705 720 
			  All ages 2,124 2,108 2,093 2,078 
			   
			 £250/£400 79 and under 1,808 1,771 1,735 1,698 
			  80 and over 906 924 943 963 
			  All ages 2,714 2,695 2,678 2,661 
			  Notes: 1. Expenditure on winter fuel payments is rounded to the nearest £1 million. Age breakdowns may not sum to totals due to rounding. 2. Expenditure on the '79 and under' age group includes payments to people over women's state pension age, which is increasing from 60 to 65 between 2010 and 2018. People under women's state pension age (both men and women) are not eligible for winter fuel payments. 3. Great Britain forecasts of winter fuel payments are consistent with Budget 2011 forecasts. 4. Projections of winter fuel payments on a constituency, local authority and Government office region level use latest administrative data to apportion total GB expenditure over the requested geography. 5. Forecasts do not include winter fuel payments made to eligible recipients now resident in other European economic area countries or Switzerland, which is why these GB forecasts may differ from published forecasts that do include such overseas spending.  Source: DWP statistical and accounting data.

Winter Fuel Payments

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the proportion of the average winter fuel bill for pensioner households represented by the  (a) £100 reduction and  (b) £50 reduction in winter fuel payments proposed over winter 2011-12; and what assessment he has made of the effects on fuel poverty of the proposed removal of the enhanced rate of the winter fuel payment in 2011-12 for pensioners under (i) 80 and (ii) over 80 years; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: In winter 2011-12, winter fuel payments will be paid exactly as budgeted for by the previous Government. The standard rates of winter fuel payments will be £200 for households with someone who has reached women's state pension age and is under 80 and £300 for households with someone aged 80 or over.
	 (a) For households where there is someone aged 80 or over, the winter fuel payment is £100 less in 2011-12 compared to 2010-11. For this group it is estimated that £100 represents around 15% of the average winter fuel bill.
	 (b) For households where there is someone who has reached women's state pension age and is under 80, the winter fuel payment is £50 less in 2011-12 compared to 2010-11. For this group it is estimated that £50 represents around 7% of the average winter fuel bill.
	Information on the fuel poverty impact for (i) pensioners under 80 and (ii) pensioners over 80 years is not available separately. For both groups combined the impact of the removal of the temporary increase in winter fuel payments is estimated at 25,000 more households in fuel poverty in England.
	Additional support is available through cold weather payments for regions that suffer particularly cold weather and we have made permanent the increase in these payments from £8.50 to £25 a week from 2011-12 onwards. Subject to parliamentary approval, from winter 2011-12 some of the poorest pensioners would get direct assistance with their energy costs through a rebate off their electricity bills under the warm home discount scheme. Rebates would be at least £120.
	 Notes:
	1. Family Spending 2010 (Living Costs and Food Survey 2009) is used to determine household expenditure on fuel by age. This information uses weekly amounts to create an average annual fuel bill. Winter fuel bills are estimated as being between 60% and 70% of the annual bill based on DECC information (in table 2 for gas and table 3 for electricity) of:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/Statistics/publications/trends/articles_issue/559-trendssep10-domestic-energy-bills-article.pdf
	2. The fuel and light inflation rate, published by the ONS, is used to estimate the energy bills as at February 2011.

Work Capacity Assessment

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average period is between the date of a work capacity assessment and a referral to an employment provider for those found capable of work  (a) nationally and  (b) in each local authority area.

Chris Grayling: The information is not available.

TRANSPORT

Commission for Integrated Transport

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what residual functions will remain following the abolition of the Commission for Integrated Transport; which organisation will carry out each such function; what the estimated costs of each such function are; and what transfer of funds will be made to each organisation to carry out each such function.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport abolished the Commission for Integrated Transport as we concluded that our emphasis should now be on high-level strategic advice rather than the detailed research undertaken by the Commission. We will receive this advice by engaging directly with experts in a number of ways, including through a new informal strategic transport advisory group, rather than an arm's length body. We are currently developing our thinking on these options, including the group, and will publish our conclusions in the next few months.

Departmental Public Bodies

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of BRB (Residuary) Ltd.

Theresa Villiers: On 16 March 2011,  Official Report, columns 9-10WS, the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), issued a written ministerial statement updating Parliament on progress on public bodies reform. That statement also announced that Departments estimate cumulative administrative savings of at least £2.6 billion will flow from public bodies over the spending review period.
	I refer the right hon. Member to my answer of 22 March 2011,  Official Report, column 1055W. This is our best current estimate of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of BRB (Residuary) Ltd.

Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to publish the equality impact assessment in respect of the abolition of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport's proposals have been through a preliminary impact assessment process, including an equalities impact assessment. Full impact assessment documents will be published as part of the consultation process in the coming months.

Driving Tests: Motorcycles

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  which organisations have been consulted by his Department's review group assessing the feasibility and safety of proposed changes to the motorcycle test;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the  (a) Association of Chief Police Officers and  (b) Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland on proposals for alterations to the motorcycle test;
	(3)  who the members are of his Department's review group to assess the feasibility and safety of the changes proposed for the motorcycle test;
	(4)  when his Department's review group assessing the feasibility and safety of the proposals to change the motorcycle test will report.

Michael Penning: A public consultation was held on the scope of the review in June/July 2010. There were 489 responses, mainly from motorcyclists (including learners and experienced), motorcycle trainers and examiners. There will be a further consultation on proposed changes to the motorcycle test in due course.
	There have so far been no formal discussions with the Association of Chief Police Officers or the Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland. There have been informal discussions with the DfT/ACPO liaison officer.
	There is a working group and a technical sub-group assessing the feasibility and safety of the changes proposed for the motorcycle test.
	 Members of the working group are:
	Department for Transport
	Driving Standards Agency
	Motorcycle Industry Association
	Motorcycle Industry Trainers Association
	Motorcycle Action Group
	British Motorcyclists Federation
	Public and Commercial Services Union
	Road Safety Great Britain
	Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents
	The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety was also involved in the initial stages of the review.
	 Members of the technical sub group are:
	Department for Transport
	Driving Standards Agency
	Motorcycle Industry Association
	Motorcycle Industry Trainers Association
	Motorcycle Action Group
	Public and Commercial Services Union
	Biketrain Wales
	CamRider
	Streetwise Training
	Fast-Trak Training was also involved in the initial stages of the review.
	An interim report from the working group was published on the DfT website on 20 December 2010. There will be a further report later this year.

East Coast Railway Line: Timetables

Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the East Coast Trains timetable due to be introduced in May 2011 to be published.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 31 March 2011
	 East Coast's May 2011 timetable was published on its website on Monday 14 February 2011. Tickets are now available for purchase using the usual channels.

Large Goods Vehicles

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to introduce a road user charging system for foreign heavy goods vehicles.

Michael Penning: In April 2014. A road user charging scheme will apply both to UK and foreign-registered vehicles, although we intend to compensate UK hauliers for the extra costs involved.

Legislation

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to bring into force sections of primary legislation within his Department's area of responsibility which are not currently in force.

Norman Baker: holding answer 1 April 2011
	Active consideration is being given to commencing the following provisions (to the extent they are not already commenced):
	(a) section 35 of the Road Safety Act 2006 (which relates to a reduced disqualification period for attendance on a course);
	(b) sections 2, 4 and 5 of the Local Transport Act 2008 (which relate to traffic commissioner areas);
	(c) the Driving Instruction (Suspension and Exemption Powers) Act 2009;and
	(d) sections 161, 165 and 167 of the Equality Act 2010 (which relate to taxis and private hire vehicles).

LEK Partnership

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings he has had with representatives of LEK Consulting in 2011 to date.

Norman Baker: holding answer 29 March 2011
	The Secretary of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has not had any meetings with LEK Consulting in 2011 to date. I met with LEK Bus Profitability Research on 15 June 2010.

London Underground

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made in awarding a contract for sub-surface signalling on the London Underground.

Theresa Villiers: London Underground Ltd, who are accountable to the Mayor of London, are responsible for the award of this contract.

London-Norwich Railway Line

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions Ministers in his Department travelled on rail services between Norwich and London in the course of their official duties in each of the last 10 years.

Norman Baker: The information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.

London-Norwich Railway Line

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions bus services replaced passenger rail services for all or part of the journey between Norwich and London Liverpool Street owing to  (a) routine and  (b) non-routine maintenance in each year since 2007.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport does not hold data on replacement bus services for National Express East Anglia. While Network Rail is responsible for the maintenance of the infrastructure, the provision of replacement bus services is the responsibility of the train operating company. My hon. Friend may wish to contact National Express East Anglia, contact details for which can be found on their website:
	www.nationalexpresseastanglia.com

Mersey Gateway Project

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to announce the funding package for the Mersey Gateway Bridge scheme.

Norman Baker: holding answer 1 April  2011
	We are still considering the funding proposal from Halton borough council for the Mersey Gateway Bridge scheme and hope to announce the final funding arrangements as soon as possible. This is the largest scheme with the most complex funding proposal of any scheme in the Department for Transport's supported pool of local authority promoted major transport schemes.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if he will conduct a promotional campaign aimed at young drivers to make them aware of the requirement to hold valid motor insurance; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what his policy is on the introduction of continuous insurance enforcement for motor vehicles; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: The Continuous Insurance Enforcement scheme, that will mean that the registered keeper of a motor vehicle must keep it insured at all times unless they have made a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN), is planned to start in late spring.
	This will follow a full publicity campaign to raise awareness of the scheme with motorists. The Department for Transport continues to work closely with the insurance industry on communications activity and the message has been promoted through the media, in information mailed out by Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency with vehicle tax reminders and on:
	www.direct.gov.uk/stayinsured

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received on the scale of risks to young drivers seeking motor insurance; and if he will initiate a consultation on policy options to address the cost of motor insurance for young drivers.

Michael Penning: I recognise that the rising cost of motor insurance is a problem to young people. The higher premiums faced by young drivers reflect the cost to insurers of providing cover but the Government are concerned that it may tempt some to drive uninsured. The issue has been raised in correspondence to the Department and at the recent Transport Select Committee on the cost of motor insurance.
	I wish to work with the motor insurance industry to identify ways in which we can develop insurance products which offer incentives to those young drivers who may be willing to accept restrictions or take additional training. A seminar to look at the issues is planned for May. There are no current plans for formal consultation.

Network Rail

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for the restructuring of Network Rail in 2011.

Theresa Villiers: Sir Roy McNulty's Rail Value for Money study will present its final conclusions shortly. Sir Roy's recommendations and the industry's response to them will shape the Government's proposals for the reform of the industry, which we intend to set out later this year.

Network Rail: Electrification

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the  (a) nature and  (b) scale is of the work his Department plans to carry out with the Welsh Assembly Government on electrification of commuter rail lines in the South Wales valleys in the period before the commencement of the next control period.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport will work with the Welsh Assembly Government to develop a business case for the electrification of the lines north of Cardiff to Treherbert, Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil, Coryton and Rhymney and the lines west of Cardiff to Penarth and Barry.

Parking: Fees and Charges

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many residents of  (a) Poole constituency and  (b) England appealed against penalty charge notices and were successful in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Norman Baker: The most recent report of the Traffic Penalty Tribunal available at:
	www.trafficpenaltytribunal.gov.uk/downloads/Annual_Statistics_of_the_Traffic_Penalty_Tribunal_0809.pdf
	gives the figures for 2008-09 for councils in England (outside London) with civil parking enforcement powers, including the borough of Poole. The Tribunal does not compile statistics, for individual parliamentary constituencies.

Railways: Construction

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the arrangements for the public consultation on High Speed 2 have been subjected to an equalities impact assessment.

Philip Hammond: My Department and HS2 Ltd have actively considered equality impacts when planning the consultation, including ensuring that the consultation materials have been published in a usable and accessible way to the widest possible audience, regardless of disability, capability or technology. Public facing events have been planned along the London to west midlands route at around 30 locations and the venues were considered in terms of public transport provision and access for disabled and reduced mobility people, to ensure they were suitable. HS2 Ltd is also speaking with councils about specific measures to ensure the consultation reaches equality groups.

Railways: Disability

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will assess the adequacy of the assistance available for disabled passengers to board trains at unstaffed train stations.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 24 March 2011
	Provision of assistance for disabled passengers is an operational matter for train operating companies (TOC). TOCs must commit to provide assistance at any station during scheduled train operating times or to provide an accessible service to take disabled passengers to the nearest or most convenient accessible station from where they can continue their journey. No additional charge should be levied for this facility.
	Each TOC's Disabled Persons Protection Policy is reviewed annually.
	The Department for Transport is working with the industry in implementing an upgrade to the current Assisted Passenger Reservation Service, which we expect to be launched this summer.

Railways: East Anglia

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what progress he has made in securing funding for the four-tracking of the rail lines between Copper Mill Junction and Broxbourne set out in the Greater Anglia Route Utilisation Strategy;
	(2)  what recent  (a) correspondence and  (b) meetings he has had with the Mayor of London on the implementation of the Greater Anglia Rail Utilisation Strategy;
	(3)  what recent  (a) correspondence and  (b) meetings he has had with Network Rail on the implementation of the Greater Anglia Rail Utilisation Strategy;
	(4)  what recent  (a) correspondence and  (b) meetings he has had with the National Express East Anglia group on the implementation of the Greater Anglia Rail Utilisation Strategy;
	(5)  what recent representations he has received from hon. Members on the Greater Anglia Rail Utilisation Strategy.

Theresa Villiers: Network Rail published the Greater Anglia Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS) in December 2007. It has subsequently undertaken further analysis of the proposal for four-tracking of the rail lines between Copper Mill Junction and Broxbourne. This analysis is included in its draft London and South East RUS which is currently subject to consultation. The analysis and recommendations of the RUS will inform the Government's next High Level Output Specification covering rail investment from 2014.
	The Department for Transport Ministers have not had recent correspondence or meetings with the Mayor of London specifically on the implementation of the Greater Anglia RUS. However, I did recently discuss the Greater Anglia RUS with two hon. Members as part of a more general meeting about Fenline services.

Railways: Fares

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on any relationship between the levels of fare evasion on passenger rail services and the opening hours of ticket offices at rail stations.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport has not commissioned any evidence on the relationship between the levels of fare evasion on passenger rail services and the opening hours of ticket offices, and is not aware of any such research from third parties. However, prior to refranchising the Department arranges for ticketless travel surveys to be carried out in case incentives to address the problem need to be built into future contracts.

Railways: Franchises

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when his Department next plans to review rail operator franchise agreements.

Theresa Villiers: I refer the hon. Member to the Government's response to the Reforming Rail Franchising consultation which can be found at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/closed/2010-28/
	New franchise agreements will be put in place for the forthcoming Greater Anglia and Intercity West Coast franchises. Further details on these, including timescales, can be found in my written statement at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/press/speechesstatements/statements/villiers20110119

Railways: Infrastructure

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the likely  (a) cost of and  (b) revenue arising from restructuring of the Anglia region's track and signalling infrastructure.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport has made no such assessment. The independent Office of Rail Regulation is responsible for assessing the performance of Network Rail in driving efficiencies on the rail network while delivering the Government's High Level Output Specification.

Railways: Overcrowding

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate he has made of levels of overcrowding on commuter rail services between Rochdale and Manchester.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport does not hold detailed passenger count information for every station stop on individual rail services. The Department has not therefore made any estimates for the levels of overcrowding on commuter rail services between Rochdale and Manchester.
	Northern, the train operator who provides these services, may be able to provide more information. They can be contacted at the following address:
	Northern Rail Ltd
	Northern House
	9 Rougier Street
	York YOI 6HZ

Railways: Overcrowding

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Luton North of 9 June 2010,  Official Report, column 39W, on railways: overcrowding, what his policy is on managing overcrowding on passenger rail services; and what consideration he has given to the merits of introducing  (a) targets and  (b) incentives to encourage train operating companies to reduce overcrowding on such services.

Theresa Villiers: The Reforming Rail Franchising consultation closed on 18 October 2010 and a policy statement was released on 19 January 2011. The statement can be found on the Department for Transport's website at
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/closed/2010-28/govresponse.pdf
	The revised Government policy on crowding can be found in pages 16 to 18.

Railways: Passengers

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of trends in the cost to passengers of rail travel.

Theresa Villiers: The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) publishes a fares index in National Rail Trends. It is available from the ORR website at:
	http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.1863

Railways: Standards

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what compensation was paid to rail passengers by each of the train operating companies operating the delay and pay scheme in each of the last two years for which figures are available.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport does not hold this information in the form requested.
	Train companies pay compensation to passengers for delays and other matters arising from poor service under the terms of their Passenger's Charters. The terms of each operator's Passenger's Charter are approved under their respective franchise agreements.

Roads: Accidents

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road casualties were recorded in  (a) Poole constituency and  (b) the south-west in the last three years for which figures are available.

Michael Penning: The information requested is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Reported casualties from personal injury road accidents in (a) Poole constituency and (b) the  south - west ,  2007-09 
			   Number of casualties 
			   (a) Poole( 1)  (b) South- west region( 2) 
			 2007 362 21,866 
			 2008 371 19,184 
			 2009 323 18,117 
			 (1) Based on the 2010 parliamentary boundaries. (2) Former Government Office Region. 
		
	
	The data for year 2010 will be published at end of June 2011.

Roads: Accidents

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many pedestrians were  (a) injured and  (b) killed in road traffic accidents in Oxford street, London, in each of the last five years.

Michael Penning: The information requested is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Reported pedestrian casualties resulting from personal injury road accidents: Oxford  s treet, London, 2005-09 
			   Number of casualties 
			  Accident year  (a) All injury severities  (b) Killed 
			 2005 111 0 
			 2006 93 2 
			 2007 73 1 
			 2008 64 1 
			 2009 63 3 
			  Source: Transport for London

Roads: Snow and Ice

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how much from the sum announced in the 2011 Budget for costs of road maintenance arising from adverse weather conditions is to be paid to each highway authority;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 15 March 2011,  Official Report, columns 284-85W, on roads: snow and ice, whether he has informed local authorities of their allocations; and how much has been allocated to each local authority.

Norman Baker: The Secretary of State wrote on 24 March to all English local highway authorities to inform them of their share of £200 million following the Budget Statement on 23 March which announced we had doubled the funding being provided for repairing potholes. This funding was paid to authorities on Monday 28 March 2011.
	I refer to the following weblink which sets out how much each authority has been allocated from the £200 million:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/regional/localauthorities/funding/fundingstreams/extrafunds/xls/allocationsbyregion.xls

Scientific Advisers

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for the future of the role of chief scientific adviser to his Department.

Norman Baker: holding answer 31 March 2011
	 The Department for Transport is considering how a future chief scientific adviser role would be most effectively delivered as part of the Department's reorganisation process.

Sea Rescue

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with representatives of the  (a) fishing industry and  (b) offshore oil and gas industry on proposals to reduce the number of coastguard maritime rescue co-ordination centres.

Michael Penning: I have had no discussions with representatives of the fishing industry or the offshore oil and gas industry specifically on the proposals to reduce the number of coastguard maritime rescue co-ordination centres.
	The consultation I launched on 16 December 2011 is an opportunity for everyone, including these industries, to consider their views and respond to the proposals we have made. I would encourage them to do so.

Shipping: Oil

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he expects the provisions of the order on ship-to-ship transfers outside harbour authority waters to enter into force  (a) in general and  (b) in respect of waters off the Suffolk coast on 1 April 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: holding answer 1 April 2011
	I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement entitled "Merchant Shipping (Ship-to-Ship Transfers) Regulations 2010" which I made on 30 March 2011,  Official Report, columns 26-28WS.

South West Trains: Rolling Stock

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department has had with South West Trains on improving the provision of rolling stock on Portsmouth to London passenger rail services.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 31 March 2011
	 As part of the commitment to provide extra railway carriages made by the Secretary of State on 25 November 2010, the Department for Transport has recommenced work with Stagecoach South Western Trains (SSWT) for the provision of additional peak capacity into London Waterloo.
	The day to day deployment of the available rolling stock remains the responsibility of the train operating company as they are required to plan to meet the capacity demands on the services that they operate under the terms of their franchise agreement.

Speed Limits: Cameras

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what revenue was collected through speed camera penalty charge notices in  (a) Poole constituency and  (b) the south-west in the last three years for which figures are available.

Michael Penning: Following the ending of the National Safety Camera Funding Scheme in 2007, all fixed penalty income, whether or not the offence was detected by camera, goes to the Consolidated Fund.
	Data on the number of fixed penalties issued and paid per year for all motoring offences and separately on all speeding offences detected by camera are collected centrally and published as part of National Statistics. These are outlined in detail within Chapter 3 of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin, "Police Powers and Procedures". Sections 3.3 and 3.4 deal with fixed penalty notices generally and notices issued on the basis of speed camera evidence respectively. Data available for police force areas include in table 3.01 "Speed Limit Offences" which will include all detected offences, including those detected by enforcement cameras.
	The latest publication outlines data for the financial year 2008-09 as well as making reference to historical data. The next bulletin is due to be published in April 2011:
	http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/stats-release.html

Transport: Schools

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made towards a review of school travel.

Nick Gibb: I have been asked to reply.
	One of the coalition Government's priorities is to increase the supply of places in good schools and, in doing so, increase parental choice. Transport is a vital element in extending parental choice. Local authorities already spend almost £1 billion per annum on school transport. The Secretary of State has very recently allocated a further £85 million over the next two financial years to local authorities to support low income families attend schools further from home than the statutory distance. Part of that allocation is to help those families attend schools on the basis of a particular religion or belief. This has been communicated to local authorities and individual allocations will be made to local authorities very shortly.
	Officials will also launch a review involving local authorities on how we can improve the efficiency and practice within local authority transport planning in the coming years.

Transport: Sustainable Development

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consultation his Department undertook with representatives of the motorcycling industry when formulating its Local Transport White Paper, Creating Growth, Cutting Carbon: Making Sustainable Local Transport Happen.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport did not specifically consult with representatives of the motorcycling industry when formulating its Local Transport White Paper, Creating Growth, Cutting Carbon: Making Sustainable Local Transport Happen, but is aware of its general views and took these into account in the formulation of the paper. The Paper cites, for example, the benefits of the "Wheel to Work" initiative.
	The Department recognises that motorcycling is a mode of transport that many people find practical and convenient, and that it has a useful part to play in the full range of transport policies, at national as well as local level. Where a local authority identifies the promotion or facilitation of motorcycle use as part of a solution to the transport problem identified in their area, and this solution can be shown to meet the objectives of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund announced alongside the White Paper, I would be pleased to consider the merits of the proposal alongside other bids.

West Coast Railway Line

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the increased capacity that would be created on the West Coast Main Line through introduction of the European Rail Traffic Management System and in-cab signalling technology.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 22 March 2011
	The application of European Rail Traffic Management System ERTMS and in-cab signalling is unlikely to significantly change the present overall capacity of the West Coast Main Line.
	One advantage of ERTMS is to manage more effectively train movements over junctions, where trains make conflicting movements without grade separation (ie without flyovers or flyunders). Many of the key junctions are already grade separated on the West Coast route. ERTMS does not significantly improve the ability of trains to follow one another more closely.
	The West Coast Main Line modernisation scheme, completed in 2008, was designed to increase capacity overall to an optimum level using conventional signalling.

West Coast Railway Line

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to ensure that the West Coast Mainline is available to different operators.

Theresa Villiers: Any operator wishing to operate on a commercial basis may apply to the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) for the necessary track access rights and to Network Rail for train paths in the timetable. Further information is available on the ORR website at:
	www.rail-reg.gov.uk

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Agriculture: Environment Protection

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what support his Department plans to provide to agricultural businesses for the uptake of low-carbon technology and energy-efficient equipment in each of the next four financial years.

Gregory Barker: Many agricultural businesses are well placed to take up low-carbon technology and improve their energy efficiency. The Department does not target support on particular business sectors but seeks to encourage all business to take up the opportunities of the transition to a low-carbon economy including the incentives for investment in renewable energy technology.
	DECC will provide some funding for innovation over the next four years focused on the innovation needs of particular technologies. We are currently reviewing our funding priorities.

Contracts for Difference

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what  (a) modelling and  (b) assumptions were considered for use to determine the Contracts of Difference proposed in the consultation on Market Electricity Reform.

Charles Hendry: The modelling used was undertaken by Redpoint Energy. Their report, including the assumptions used, were published alongside the Consultation Document and can be found on the DECC website at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/emr/emr.aspx
	We will publish final proposals in the Electricity Market Reform White Paper this summer.

Departmental Assets

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether receipts from the sale of assets owned by regional development agencies are reflected in the spending plans of his Department for  (a) 2012-13 and  (b) 2013-14.

Gregory Barker: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) will retain receipts from regional development agency (RDA) assets, although a large part of these will be required to meet RDA liabilities. DECC will not retain any receipts from RDA asset sales.

Departmental Contracts

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what contracts his Department and its associated public bodies signed with Lockheed Martin in each of the last 10 years; and for what purposes each such contract was let.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change and its associated bodies have let no contracts to Lockheed Martin since the Department was established in October 2008.

Departmental Public Transport

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many of his ministerial team have been issued with  (a) an Oyster card and  (b) a (i) monthly and (ii) annual travel card valid on London Transport and paid for by his Department for use while travelling on government business.

Gregory Barker: None.

Electricity Market Reform

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how the modelling assumptions underlying the Contracts of Difference proposed in the consultation on Electricity Market Reform were decided upon.

Charles Hendry: The assumptions underlying the modelling were decided in consultation with the modellers and Government analysts. We will publish final proposals in the Electricity Market Reform White Paper this summer.

Electricity Market Reform

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment has been undertaken to validate the assumption in the analysis supporting the Electricity Market Reform consultation proposals that a reduction in earnings at risk will lead to an equal increase in the level of debt that can be raised.

Charles Hendry: The cost of capital reductions from the modelling underlying the Electricity Market Reform consultation document were tested through surveys of the existing low-carbon financing literature as well as through consultation with industry experts. We will publish an updated assessment as part of the Impact Assessment to the Electricity Market Reform White Paper this summer.

Energy Supply

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to maintain potential of small and medium-sized energy suppliers to  (a) participate in and  (b) benefit from his strategy for ECO2012 and the Green New Deal.

Gregory Barker: The Department has been working closely with energy companies of different sizes, developing their proposed role to collect Green Deal payments from customers and exploring the potential opportunities for them as Green Deal providers, offering energy efficiency measures to households and businesses.
	The specific criteria that will determine which energy suppliers are included as obligated parties under the new energy company obligation (ECO) will be put forward as part of the public consultation planned for later this year. The proposals being developed will be informed by the recent consultation on whether to raise the customer account threshold for supplier involvement in DECC's current supplier obligations. We will be publishing the Government's response to that consultation shortly.

Energy: Housing

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions his Department has had with industry on extending application of the principle of the Green Deal scheme to the building of new homes.

Gregory Barker: The Department for Communities and Local Government has had initial discussions with industry on whether a green deal type approach for new homes would help them as a way of offsetting some of the upfront costs of zero carbon homes. The Government look forward to further discussions with industry on this matter.

Energy: Housing

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what mechanisms he has considered to enable the principles of the Green Deal to be applied to homes not yet built.

Gregory Barker: The Department for Communities and Local Government has undertaken some initial work on how the principles of the Green Deal could be applied to new build by capturing the energy cost benefits of current building standards over a previous standard. Government have invited the house building industry to consider the key principles that could inform the design of such a scheme, if it were to be developed, and looks forward to receiving the industry's views in due course.

Energy: Housing

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to reduce the time taken for delegated nominating officers to approve large-scale domestic energy schemes on housing estates.

Bob Neill: I have been asked to reply.
	I understand that this question relates to the length of time taken by local authorities in the determination of planning applications.
	Local authorities often apply a scheme of delegation to allow officials to take decisions that would otherwise be referred to a council committee. This is considered a local matter, and the Department does not intervene in such schemes of delegation.
	The statutory timescales for the determination of planning applications by local authorities are set out in the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2010. Where local authorities fail to make decisions within the statutory timescales, applicants have it right of appeal against non-determination, under section 78 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
	The Government are committed to introducing a number of measures to streamline the planning applications and related consents regimes. These will include a 12-month guarantee for the processing of all planning applications, including any appeals. Further information on this provision is set out in the Government's 'Plan for Growth', published in March 2011.

Fuel Oil: Prices

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effects of the UK's oil refining capacity on levels of fuel prices charged at the pump.

Charles Hendry: Petrol and diesel are openly traded commodities within the EU and internationally, and we believe this open market provides the best long-term guarantee of competitive prices for the consumer. There are a range of factors that can impact upon retail fuel prices including crude oil costs, refinery capacity, stocks levels, distribution costs, margins charged by retailers, tax and duty and exchange rates. UK retailers will have to continue to remain competitive in their pricing whether the product they sell is refined in the UK or is imported.

Fuel Oil: Prices

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average cost was of a litre of domestic fuel delivered  (a) through the grid and  (b) off-grid in the latest period for which figures are available.

Charles Hendry: Off-grid fuels sold by the litre are domestic heating oils-either Standard Grade Burning Oil (SGBO) or Gas Oil-and Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG). DECC does not currently have any prices for LPG. The most recent prices published by DECC for heating oil are for February 2011:
	
		
			  Pence per litre 
			   SGBO  Gas Oil 
			 February 2011 55.60 64.19 
		
	
	Domestic fuel delivered through the grid is either gas or electricity, neither of which are measured in litres. The most recent price data is average UK prices for calendar year 2010 measured in pence per kilowatt-hour (p/kWh):
	
		
			  P ence per kWh 
			   Gas  Electricity 
			 2010 3.66 12.64

Fuel Oil: Prices

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will bring forward proposals to regulate the price of heating oil for  (a) business and  (b) domestic use.

Charles Hendry: The UK has an open and competitive heating oil market, where there is no natural monopoly. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) monitors the heating oil market, including prices, for any indications that consumer or competition legislation has been breached. The OFT considers all complaints and representations carefully.
	On 15 March the OFT launched their off-grid energy markets study concerning specifically the domestic market. The OFT expects to publish its findings and conclusions in October 2011, which will help to determine whether any changes are needed to the heating oil market.

Fuel Poverty

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of people over the age of 65 years and resident in Clwyd South constituency who were living in fuel poverty in the latest period for which figures are available.

Gregory Barker: Data on households in fuel poverty in Wales are derived from the Living in Wales property survey, 2008 and are supplied by the Welsh Assembly Government. In 2008, 332,000 households in Wales were estimated to be fuel poor. This is equivalent to 26% of all households. Of those households where the household reference person (HRP) was aged 65 or over, the proportion estimated to be fuel poor is 40% (or 139,000 households).
	The survey was designed to allow analysis at an all Wales level only, so the Welsh Assembly Government are unable to supply data at a parliamentary constituency level as per the parliamentary question. The survey results are also presented as the number of households that are in fuel poverty and not the number of individuals that are in fuel poverty.
	The household reference person is defined as the person, in whose name the home is owned or rented. If it is jointly owned or rented the HRP is the person who earns the most. If there are equal incomes the HRP is the eldest.

Fuel Poverty

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of people living in fuel poverty who used  (a) heating oil,  (b) liquid petroleum gas and  (c) other off-grid fuels as the primary means of heating their homes in the latest period for which figures are available.

Gregory Barker: Fuel poverty is measured at household level, not by number of people. The following table summarises the number of fuel poor households by main heating fuel in each of England, Scotland and Wales for the most recent period for which data are available.
	
		
			  Number of fuel poor households 
			  Thousand 
			  Main heating fuel  England (2008)  Scotland (2009)  Wales (2008) 
			 Heating oil 236 77 67 
			 LPG/bottled gas 67 (1)24 13 
			 Other (solid) fuels 102 (1)- 18 
			 (1) Indicates a brace. 
		
	
	Other off-grid fuels comprise a range of solid fuels, including coal, smokeless fuel, anthracite and wood.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on a target for UK reductions of greenhouse gas emissions of 60 per cent. of 1990 levels by 2030.

Gregory Barker: The Climate Change Act 2008 requires Government to set the level of the fourth carbon budget covering the period 2023-27 in law not later than 30 June 2011. The Government are grateful to the Committee on Climate Change for their report published last December on the fourth carbon budget which included a recommendation for an indicative target of 60% by 2030. Government expect to respond to the CCC's recommendations after the Easter recess.

Oil

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect of environmental legislation on  (a) the competitiveness of and  (b) levels of investment in oil refining.

Charles Hendry: There are a range of factors that determine competitiveness and levels of investment in oil refining. An assessment conducted for DECC in 2009(1) concluded that low returns and weak demand growth had led to a lack of discretionary investment in UK downstream oil infrastructure with most investment being made to comply with safety and environmental regulatory requirements. The main incentive to invest is potential financial return, but the lack of demand growth and the competitive nature of the market constrain these returns in the UK. Nevertheless, reducing regulation is a key priority for the coalition Government, and we are working to eliminate the avoidable burdens of regulation and bureaucracy, and to improve European regulation and to reduce the burdens it imposes. We fully recognise the importance of a level playing field within the EU given the cost and operational challenges to oil refining that environmental legislation can bring. We will also continue to encourage businesses to manage and use natural resources in a sustainable manner and reduce waste, supporting a strong and sustainable green economy.
	(1) Website as follows:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/uk_supply/resilience/downstream_oil/improving/improving.aspx

Oil

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the minimum number of oil refineries in the UK necessary to ensure security of fuel supply.

Charles Hendry: The Government recognise that the retention of a refining sector in the UK offers benefits in terms of security of supply (balancing the risks between crude oil and refined product markets) as well as wider socio-economic benefits. It is Government's role to create the best conditions to ensure that the UK's demand for petroleum products continues to be met; at present, this is done through a balance of indigenously manufactured products and imports. We need to recognise the changes taking place in terms of refined product supply and demand, and that a mix of product refined in the UK and imports and exports will play a continuing role in the UK's downstream oil market. Industry and the market are best placed to determine the appropriate number of UK-based refineries and we have been encouraged by recent inward investment into the UK refinery sector.

Oil

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will place in the Library a copy of each of his Department's internal studies on the future of oil refineries in the UK.

Charles Hendry: In 2009, a study carried out by Wood Mackenzie, on behalf of DECC, on the resilience of the downstream oil sector was completed and has been available on DECC's website. Further work on the resilience of the sector to a variety of potential disruption events was conducted by Deloitte LLP in 2010. I will place a copy of these reports in the Libraries of the House. A study on the competitiveness of the UK's refining sector is under way, and I will also place a copy of this study in the Libraries of the House when complete.

Paper

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will bring forward proposals to ensure that the paper industry is not adversely affected by his policies on climate change and energy usage.

Gregory Barker: As part of the Energy Intensive Industry Strategy, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department of Energy and Climate Change are looking at how to maximise abatement in these sectors, while maintaining international competitiveness.
	As part of this work, we are looking at the cumulative effects of energy and climate change policies on energy intensive users such as the paper industry. We aim to publish the findings of this work by the summer.
	In Budget 2011, the Government announced that climate change agreements (CCAs) will be extended to 2023, as well as increasing the climate change levy discount on electricity for CCA participants from 65 to 80 per cent from April 2013 to continue to support energy intensive businesses exposed to international competition.
	In addition, as outlined in the Plan for Growth, the Government are introducing a new framework to cap the impact of levy-funded support on energy bills, alongside scrapping plans for a new carbon capture and storage levy and instead fund the Coalition Commitments to CCS demonstration from general taxation.

Raytheon Radar

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made on the progress of the mitigation research programme for the Raytheon radar.

Charles Hendry: We have received an update from NATS, the UK en-route air navigation service provider on the research and development work being conducted on behalf of DECC, the Crown Estate and the windfarm developer community with Raytheon. Indications are encouraging that the technology could be an effective mitigation solution for NATS' radars. Trials are due to be completed later this year.

Raytheon Radar

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he expects the mitigation research programme for the Raytheon radar to be completed by the target date of summer 2011.

Charles Hendry: Yes.

Renewable Energy

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what research his Department  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the effectiveness of auctions with multiple bidders in delivering sustained deployment of renewable electricity over the long-term to support the development of the model for Contracts for Difference with auctions proposed by his Department in its consultation on Electricity Market Reform.

Charles Hendry: My officials are currently in the process of assessing the responses we have received to the Electricity Market Reform consultation which closed on 10 March 2011. A number of these dealt with companies' perceptions of the effectiveness of auctions in the electricity generation market.
	The proposals in the Electricity Market Reform consultation paper were based on analysis of a number of auctions/tenders carried out in the UK and internationally. My officials have carried out further research on these schemes, speaking to Government officials responsible for their design and companies who have participated in them.
	We have commissioned external research and advice in a number of areas of electricity market reform, including the effectiveness of different price discovery mechanisms.

Solar Power

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of solar photovoltaic installations in 2010; and what estimate he has made of the likely installation rate in 2011.

Gregory Barker: The following table shows actual solar PV installation figures under the Feed-in Tariff (FITs) scheme until 31 December 2010 and projections for 2010-11 and 2011-12. The comprehensive review of FITs will revisit uptake assumptions and update DECC projections.
	
		
			   Actual installations at  31 December 2010  FITs model projection 2010-11  FITs model projection 2011-12 
			 Installations 14,500 20,500 55,000 
			 MW - (50 to 90 MW) (135 to l75 MW) 
			  Note:  1. Installation numbers are rounded to the nearest 500.  2. MW estimates are rounded to the nearest 5 MW. Estimates are presented in a range; the lower end of the range is consistent with the final impact assessment, February 2010, and the higher end of the range is consistent with the impact assessment accompanying the Fast-Track Review of FITs Consultation. The Fast-Track Review analysis includes a higher estimate of PV MW capacity than previously estimated in 2010, which takes account of a higher estimate of take-up from large-scale PV installations. Installation numbers (rounded to the nearest 500) are not significantly different in either estimate.  3. Installations transferred from the RO onto the Exgen (9p/kWh) tariff are excluded. Projections were made on a financial year basis.

Warm Home Discount Care Group

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much he plans to spend on the Warm Home Discount Care Group in the winter of 2011-12.

Gregory Barker: The Warm Home Discount scheme regulations set the overall spending target for all elements of the scheme at £250 million for the first scheme year, 2011-12. Subject to the approval by Parliament of data matching regulations, which will facilitate the identification of the Core Group, we expect that suppliers will provide rebates to the Core Group worth up to £97 million.

Wave Power

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions his Department has had with industry representatives on support for commercial-scale marine technology to produce energy from wave power.

Charles Hendry: The Department has regular discussions with representatives of the wave power industry. Recent meetings include:
	The first Marine Energy Programme Board meeting held in Exeter last January, chaired by the Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change, my hon. Friend the Member for Bexhill and Battle (Gregory Barker), and subsequently held working groups.
	A marine energy breakfast "round table" attended by the Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change, my hon. Friend the Member for Bexhill and Battle (Gregory Barker), prior to him speaking to the RenewableUK Wave and Tidal conference.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Local Authority Pay

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking in respect of levels of pay of senior staff in local authorities.

Eric Pickles: Representations have been received from Members of Parliament, leaders of local authorities, trade union branches and the members of the public. Although a matter for individual councils, we expect restraint and leadership to be shown locally when setting senior pay. We have introduced measures in the Localism Bill to increase local democratic accountability for decisions on senior pay. We have also been consulting on proposed new transparency arrangements for local government, including how public money is used in relations to senior pay.

Business: Pendle

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many businesses in Pendle constituency received business rate hardship relief in 2010.

Bob Neill: The information requested is not held centrally.

Business: Pendle

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many businesses in Pendle constituency were  (a) eligible for and  (b) received small business rate relief in the last year for which figures are available.

Bob Neill: Pendle reported on their national non-domestic rates (NNDR1) budget form that 1,158 hereditaments received a discount from the small business rate relief scheme as at 31 December 2009. A further 55 hereditaments paid only the small business rate multiplier without being granted a discount. Information on numbers of businesses eligible for the relief is not held centrally.

Compulsory Purchase

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he has taken to establish and promulgate guidance on the planning status of land acquired under compulsory purchase orders in order to assess land value for compensation purposes.

Bob Neill: Guidance on the current system is contained in Appendix P ("Land Compensation Act 1961-Certificates of appropriate alternative development") to Part 1 of the Memorandum to ODPM Circular 06/2004 "Compulsory Purchase and the Crichel Down Rules".

Council Tax

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information his Department holds on local authorities which have different levels of council tax within their areas for those in the same council tax band.

Bob Neill: holding answer 1 April 2011
	Taxpayers in the same local authority and council tax band will pay different levels of council tax where the town or parish where they live charges a differing amount of precept from another town or parish in that local authority. The Department has published local authority level information for 2010-11 on local precepting authorities. This can be found at the following address:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/1765849.xls
	Information on the levels of precepts set by individual parishes is not held centrally.
	Some taxpayers in the same council tax band in the unitary authorities of central Bedfordshire and Shropshire pay different levels of tax as these authorities have decided to continue to set their basic amount of council tax under Part 4 of the Local Government (Structural Changes) (Finance) Regulations 2008, so as to equalise its council tax for all predecessor areas over more than two years. Information on these predecessor areas can be found in table 6 of the statistical release 'Council tax levels set by local authorities in England-2011-12', at this address:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/1870241.xls

Council Tax

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to assist residents of local authority areas in meeting the cost of council tax bills.

Bob Neill: The Government's council tax freeze for 2011-12 has been a success with 100% take-up of the scheme among eligible authorities across England.
	In addition, council tax benefit is available to those on low incomes who are having difficulty paying their council tax bills.

Departmental Contracts

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what contracts his Department and its associated public bodies signed with Lockheed Martin in each of the last 10 years; and for what purposes each such contract was let.

Bob Neill: The Department for Communities and Local Government was formed in May 2002 (as the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister) and since that time has let no contracts with Lockheed Martin.
	Information on contracts awarded by the Department's associated public bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Spending by my Department's arm's length bodies over £500 since 2008-09 is available online as part of our broader transparency agenda.

Departmental Flowers

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on cut flowers through its integrated facilities management contract with MITIE between the date of initiation of the contract and 30 April 2010.

Bob Neill: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 1 February 2011,  Official Report, columns 743-44W.

Environment Protection: Planning Permission

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what mechanisms are in place to coordinate environmental planning between communities in cases where protected woodland covers more than one county and district area.

Bob Neill: Local planning authorities already work together on environmental issues both informally and formally, for example on preparing joint local plans.
	We are introducing a Duty to Co-operate in the Localism Bill that will require local planning authorities and public bodies to engage constructively, actively and on an ongoing basis in preparing local plans. The duty will maximise effective working on development planning in relation to issues that cross administrative boundaries. The issues will depend on the circumstances that authorities and their neighbours face but is likely to include environmental matters.
	Authorities have the option of developing joint strategic planning documents with statutory status. These documents can address one or more strategic issues, for example climate change, energy, transport, infrastructure, that are particularly relevant to a group of authorities who may want to develop a strategy to address them together.

Fire Services: Pensions

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the potential effects on fire service pension schemes of the recommendations of the Independent Public Sector Pensions Commission.

Bob Neill: The final report of the Independent Public Service Pension Commission was published by Lord Hutton on 10 March 2011. The report set out 27 recommendations to reform public service pensions so that public service employees can have access to good quality, sustainable and affordable pensions, which are fair to both public sector workers and the taxpayer.
	These recommendations included a move to career average pension schemes, the protection of accrued rights, greater transparency and oversight, and the linking of scheme retirement ages to the state pension age. For the uniformed services, including firefighters, Lord Hutton recommended that a retirement age of 60 would be more appropriate, inline with the current New Firefighters Pension Scheme (2006) rules.
	At the Budget the Chancellor accepted Lord Hutton's recommendations as a basis for consultation with public sector workers, trades unions and others, recognising that the position of the uniformed services will require particularly careful consideration. The Government will then set out proposals in the autumn that are affordable, sustainable and fair to both the public sector work force and the taxpayer.

Flood Control

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the findings from Exercise Watermark national emergency flooding exercise that affect fire and rescue services.

Bob Neill: Exercise Watermark took place from 4 to 10 March. It tested the country's preparedness for a national flood emergency. It is too soon to draw, or discuss, any findings.
	Debriefs are currently taking place. Feedback from exercise participants, who came from many diverse organisations, is being collated. A final exercise report and implementation plan is expected by the end of September 2011. My Department will take forward any findings relating to the fire and rescue service, working with the sector as appropriate.

Flood Control: Finance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations he has received on the implications of the local levy for flood defences for the holding of referendums under the provisions of the Localism Bill.

Bob Neill: We have received certain representations about flood defence levies. We are currently considering what might be possible in terms of allowing communities to come together and make it clear they are happy to raise such a levy, while ensuring this does not amount to a green light for excessive council tax increases.

Housing Revenue Accounts

Mark Spencer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on the retention of receipts from the sale of council house sales in order to deliver services locally through the housing revenue account business plan.

Andrew Stunell: Receipts derived from the sale of tenanted homes to registered social landlords may be spent on any capital purpose (once outstanding liabilities have been met). All other receipts may be retained provided they are spent on affordable housing or regeneration projects, except right to buy (and similar) sales of existing council homes where 75% of the receipt must be surrendered to central Government.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what mechanisms are in place to ensure environmental concerns are taken into account in the development of local enterprise partnerships;
	(2)  what mechanisms are in place to ensure social issues are taken into account in the development of local enterprise partnerships.

Bob Neill: Local enterprise partnerships are locally led partnerships of business and civic leaders, coming together to provide clear vision and strategic leadership to drive sustainable economic growth and job creation in their area, as set out in the White Paper "Local growth: realising every places potential". We continue to take a non-prescriptive approach in order to give local areas the flexibility to fully reflect their economic needs. As such it is for local areas to decide how environmental concerns will be taken into account in setting the priorities and continued work of their local enterprise partnership.

Local Enterprise Partnerships: Cost-effectiveness

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria he plans to use to assess value for money in the new local enterprise partnership arrangements.

Bob Neill: Local enterprise partnerships are not government bodies, and do not receive central Government funding in respect to their administrative costs. As locally led partnerships of business and civic leaders, they will not be subject to burdensome performance monitoring regimes imposed by Whitehall. It will be for partnerships to determine how best to assess value for money as part of any monitoring activities they undertake. Where partnerships receive support from Government in relation to specific economic activities, there will be a requirement to assess value for money in respect to the public purse.

Local Enterprise Partnerships: North East

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what public consultation his Department conducted prior to the creation of the North East Economic Partnership.

Bob Neill: The North East Economic Partnership is not a government body and Central Government has therefore not been consulted on its creation.

Local Government Finance: Kent

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department allocated to  (a) Medway council and  (b) Tonbridge and Malling borough council in each of the last five years.

Bob Neill: The total grant funding allocated by the Department of Communities and Local Government to Medway unitary authority and Tonbridge and Malling borough council is as follows:
	
		
			  £ thousand 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Medway 215,307 77,170' 80,761 88,756 104,348 
			 Tonbridge and Malling 6,659 7,121 7.208 7,818 7,454 
		
	
	The definition of central Government grant used here is the sum of:
	formula grant (revenue support grant and redistributed non-domestic rates);
	specific grants inside Aggregate External Finance (i.e. revenue grants paid for council's core services) (only includes grants from this Department);
	specific grants outside Aggregate External Finance (only includes grants from this Department);
	Area Based Grant (from 2008-09); and
	'other grants' provided by all Government Departments.
	These figures are taken from revenue outturn forms provided by authorities after the end of a financial year. Figures for formula grant, Area Based Grant and other grants are aggregated grants for all Government Departments.
	Comparison across years may not be valid owing to changing local authority responsibilities and changes to funding methodology. For example, the large apparent reduction in Medway's funding between 2005-06 and 2006-07 is due principally to the transfer of Dedicated School Grant (£153.092 million in 2006-07) from formula grant to specific grants inside Aggregate External Finance (from another Department).

Local Government: Pay

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking in respect of levels of pay to senior officials in local authorities.

Bob Neill: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Hendon (Mr Offord) on 28 March 2011,  Official Report, column 7W.

Local Government: Public Participation

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information his Department holds on the number of times people have been removed by police from public galleries in meetings of local authorities in England in  (a) 2008,  (b) 2009 and  (c) 2010.

Bob Neill: My Department does not bold the requested information.
	I have, however, noted reports in the media and social media recently of incidents where people had been ejected from council meetings for blogging, tweeting or filming, and given the importance of transparency and accountability in council decision-making, I wrote to principal local authorities on 23 February to encourage councils to open up their meetings to members of the public and to citizen journalists.

Non-domestic Rates: Rochdale

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many businesses in Rochdale received business rate hardship relief in 2010;
	(2)  how many businesses in each region of England received business rate hardship relief in 2010.

Bob Neill: The information requested is not held centrally.

Non-domestic Rates: Rochdale

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many businesses in Rochdale were  (a) eligible for and  (b) received small business rate relief in the latest period for which figures are available.

Bob Neill: Rochdale metropolitan borough council reported on their national non-domestic rates (NNDR1) budget form that 1,864 hereditaments received a discount from the small business rate relief scheme as at 31 December 2009. A further 128 hereditaments paid only the small business rate multiplier without being granted a discount. Information on number of businesses eligible for the relief is not held centrally.

Planning Permission

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on the provision of guidance and information on changes to the planning system to non-governmental organisations.

Bob Neill: The Localism Bill contains a number of changes to the planning system and this was published in December 2010 with explanatory notes.
	The National Planning Policy Framework will set out the Government's key economic, social and environmental objectives and the planning policies to deliver them. The framework will combine all national planning policies into one concise, easy to use document in a way that is much more accessible to business and communities.

Planning Permission

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what mechanisms are in place to evaluate local authorities' adaptation to the new planning system

Bob Neill: The Government are decentralising decisions on planning and housing matters to local authorities who are perfectly capable of managing planning in their area.
	However, all plans are subject to an independent examination to test their soundness and all planning decisions are subject to appeal if applicants are unhappy with the decision.

Planning Permission

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he has taken to ensure that local authorities are equipped with adequate resources to collect and collate data relevant to planning.

Bob Neill: Local plans should be based on sound evidence, but it is not the job of the Government to tell councils how to manage their responsibilities or prioritise their resources. Evidence should be proportionate and relevant to the local area.
	Subject to the review and reduction of data reporting burdens on local government, the Department will continue to produce official statistics which can contribute to the evidence base used by local authorities to develop their plans; these statistics include house building, affordable housing supply, house prices, homelessness, household projections, planning applications and land use change.

Prince William: Marriage

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government is taking to reduce the administrative requirements for street parties planned to mark the Royal Wedding.

Bob Neill: In August 2010 the Government published a simple checklist to help residents work with their local authorities to organise street parties and similar community events. The checklist replaced a plethora of confusing guidelines on food licences, road closures and insurance. I have placed a copy of the checklist in the Library of the House.
	In February 2011, working in conjunction with my Department, the Department for Transport removed the national guidelines on "special event" traffic regulation orders, making clear these were matters to be dealt with locally and that central Government did not need to be involved.
	Ministers have continued to encourage local authorities to be as helpful and flexible as possible in agreeing road closures and not to levy unnecessary charges.

Tenancy Agreements

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the likely effect of flexible tenancies on older people and the disabled.

Andrew Stunell: We will protect the security and rights of existing social tenants. At the same time, our tenancy reforms will give greater flexibility to social landlords to support more vulnerable people who need help, for as long as they need it, and ensure that the system is fair.

West Sussex County Council: Pay

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of the underlying local wage data used by the last administration as the basis of calculations of the area cost adjustment for West Sussex County Council, anonymising data where necessary to facilitate disclosure.

Bob Neill: holding answer 1 April 2011
	It is the view of Ministers that data should be released, provided that personally identifiable information would not be released and legal obligations were met. I believe that disclosure would be in keeping with the new Government's transparency and free data agendas, and would be in the public interest by promoting greater scrutiny and accountability of the local government finance settlement.
	Notwithstanding, the data referred to are the responsibility of the Office for National Statistics and any release is governed by the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Responsibilities

Peter Bone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what constitutional powers he would adopt were the Prime Minister prevented from exercising his functions and duties.

Nicholas Clegg: I refer my hon. Friend to the recent answer given by the Leader of the House of Commons (Sir George Young) on 10 March 2011,  Official Report, column 1065.

Departmental Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  on what date he last travelled by ministerial car whilst on government business; and how many times he has travelled by ministerial car to his constituency since May 2010;
	(2)  on what date he last travelled by a public bus service whilst on government business; and how many times he has travelled by public bus services whilst on government business since his appointment;
	(3)  on what date he last travelled by London Underground services whilst on government business; and how many times he has travelled by London Underground services whilst on government business since his appointment;
	(4)  whether he has been issued at public expense with  (a) an Oyster card and  (b) a (i) monthly and (ii) annual travelcard valid on London Underground for use when travelling on government business.

Nicholas Clegg: I travel making the most efficient and cost-effective arrangements, including by public transport. My travel arrangements are in accordance with the arrangements for official travel as set out in the ministerial code.

Departmental Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much his Office has spent on Ministerial travel by  (a) Ministerial car,  (b) train,  (c) bus,  (d) commercial aircraft and  (e) private aircraft since May 2010.

Nicholas Clegg: Details of overseas travel are published quarterly and can be found at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk
	Within the UK, I travel making the most efficient and cost-effective arrangements, including by public transport. My travel arrangements are in accordance with the arrangements for official travel as set out in the ministerial code.

Elections: Tower Hamlets

Aidan Burley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what reports he has received on the conduct of the recent election of the mayor of the London borough of Tower Hamlets.

Mark Harper: No formal reports have been received by the Government on the conduct of the recent election of the mayor of the London borough of Tower Hamlets.

General Election 2010

Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the number of armed forces personnel who exercised their right to vote in the May 2010 general election  (a) in person,  (b) by post and  (c) by proxy; and what proportion this represents of armed forces personnel on electoral rolls.

Mark Harper: No figures are kept on the number of armed forces personnel who choose to exercise their right to vote, whether in person, by post or by proxy. Armed forces personnel may register either as service voters or as 'ordinary' voters, and may change the nature of their registration over the course of their career. The Ministry of Defence conducts regular surveys to monitor the level of registration among armed forces personnel-in 2009, 76% of those who were registered to vote were registered as 'ordinary' voters, rather than service voters.
	Electoral registers do not record whether someone who is not registered specifically as a service voter is a member of the armed forces, and so, even were numbers held centrally of votes cast by those registered as service voters, no calculation of the percentage of armed forces personnel who have voted would be possible.

General Elections: Costs

David Ward: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of a general election held in 2015 under  (a) the first past the post system and  (b) the alternative vote system.

Mark Harper: Based on the information set out in the Parliamentary Elections (Returning Officers' Charges) Order 2010, the estimated cost of the conduct of the UK parliamentary election in Great Britain which was held under the first past the post system on 6 May 2010 is £82.1 million. This figure takes into account the reduced costs of holding the UK parliamentary election on the same day as local government elections. The estimated cost of the 2010 UK parliamentary election in Northern Ireland was £2.5 million. The overall figures will be finalised once all claims from acting returning officers in Great Britain and the chief electoral officer for Northern Ireland (who are statutorily responsible for running the poll) have been received and finalised. The estimated cost of holding a stand-alone UK parliamentary election across the whole of the UK under the first past the post system is £92.1 million.
	The features of a general election using the alternative vote system would broadly be the same as under the existing system: for example, in terms of the provision of ballot papers and polling stations. However, it is not possible to quantify with certainty what the extra cost of counting votes under the alternative vote system would be: this will be dependent to a significant extent on the preferences expressed by voters.

Lobbying

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress he has made in his consideration of the Ministerial Code as it relates to commercial lobbying activities.

Mark Harper: The "Ministerial Code" published in May 2010 was strengthened to make clear that on leaving office, former Ministers will be prohibited from lobbying Government for two years. The code also makes clear that former Ministers must seek advice from the independent Advisory Committee on Business Appointments about any appointments or employment they wish to take up within two years of leaving office, and that they must abide by the Committee's advice.
	The Government are also committed to introducing a statutory register of lobbyists, and will publish a consultation paper on the form and content of a statutory register later this year.

JUSTICE

Prosecutions: National Insurance Contributions

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) employers and  (b) employees were prosecuted for evading national insurance contributions in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

David Gauke: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the right hon. Member to the reply given on 28 February 2011,  Official Report, column 36W.

Bribery Act 2010

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with  (a) ministerial colleagues and  (b) stakeholders on the timetable for publication of guidance on implementation of the Bribery Act 2010; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what timetable he has set for implementation of the Bribery Act 2010; if he will make it his policy to bring the Act into force no later than May 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: In his written statement of 30 March 2011,  Official Report, column 21WS, the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, the right hon. and learned Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), informed the House that he had that day published guidance under the Bribery Act about commercial organisations preventing bribery and would allow a period of three months for businesses to familiarise themselves with this guidance before the Act comes into force on 1 July 2011. It is not the constitutional practice to disclose details of ministerial discussions. The guidance itself was the subject of extensive consultation outside Government but the timetable did not form part of the consultation process.

Community Orders: Shoplifting

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent representations he has received on the use of restorative justice for shop theft offences.

Crispin Blunt: In the recent Green Paper "Breaking the Cycle", we set out our intention to increase the range and availability of restorative justice approaches, and to give victims a greater change of seeking reparation for crime committed against them.
	In total, we received approximately 1,200 responses and will be publishing our response to the consultation in May. This will include consideration of the representations we received on the use of restorative justice at different stages in the criminal justice system and for different disposal types, where appropriate.

Court Orders

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many court orders have been issued by each court division which prohibit parties from mentioning the existence of proceedings to hon. Members in each year since 2000.

Jonathan Djanogly: In order to protect the interests of justice in an individual case, the courts have power to prohibit disclosure of specific information to anyone other than the defendant's legal advisers. However, the defendant is always at liberty to apply for the order to be made in different terms (if he or she is represented at the hearing), or subsequently for the terms of the order to be amended (for example to permit disclosure to specific individuals or bodies or for specific purposes).
	The Ministry of Justice does not hold figures centrally on the number of court orders issued each year by court divisions which specifically prohibit parties from mentioning the existence of proceedings to hon. Members. The requested information could only be obtained through the examination of individual case files held at courts which would incur disproportionate cost.

Departmental Contracts

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what contracts his Department and its associated public bodies signed with Lockheed Martin in each of the last 10 years; and for what purposes each such contract was let.

Crispin Blunt: There have been no contracts awarded to Lockheed Martin since the Ministry of Justice was formed in 2007. Prior to this date there are no centralised historical data available.

Departmental Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  on what date  (a) he and  (b) each other Minister in his Department last travelled by (i) London Underground and (ii) public bus services on Government business; how many times (A) he and (B) each other Minister in his Department has travelled by each such form of transport on Government business since May 2010; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many of his ministerial team have been issued with  (a) an Oyster card and  (b) a (i) monthly and (ii) annual travel card valid on London Transport and paid for by his Department for use while travelling on Government business;
	(3)  on what date  (a) he and  (b) each other Minister in his Department last used a ministerial car while travelling in an official capacity; and how many times (i) he and (ii) each other Minister in his Department has travelled to their constituency in a ministerial car since May 2010;
	(4)  how much his Department has spent on ministerial travel by  (a) ministerial car,  (b) train,  (c) bus,  (d) commercial aircraft and  (e) private aircraft since May 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: Since changes to the Government Car Service in September 2010, only the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), had an allocated car, which other members of the ministerial team make use of where possible. No members of the ministerial team have been issued with an oyster card, monthly or annual travel card valid on London Transport and paid for by the Ministry of Justice. Information on the dates each Minister in MoJ last used a ministerial car while travelling in an official capacity and how many times each other Minister travelled to their constituency in a ministerial car since May 2010 is not held centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost. However, Ministers only have a ministerial car when they are travelling in an official capacity with their red box.
	A breakdown of ministerial travel expenditure is as follows:
	(a) Total cost of ministerial cars to date from May 2010 to 29 March 2011 is £212,991.
	(b) Total cost of ministerial train fares from May 2010 to 29 March is £3,752.96.
	(c) No cost has been incurred for ministerial travel by bus.
	(d) Total cost of ministerial use of commercial aircraft from May 2010 to 29 March is £14,356.39.
	(e) No cost has been incurred for ministerial travel by private aircraft.
	
		
			  Table 1: Breakdown of travel by transport on Government business since May 2010 
			   Date of travel by:  Times travelled on: 
			   London Underground  Public bus  London Underground  Public bus 
			 Secretary of State Kenneth Clarke MP Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return 
			  
			 Lord McNally 17 February 2011 Nil Return 1 Nil Return 
			  
			 Crispin Blunt MP 20 September 2010 (x2) Nil Return 16 Nil Return 
			  28 September 2010
			  17 October 2010
			  18 October 2010
			  20 October 2010
			  21 October 2010
			  25 November 2010
			  6 January 2011
			  25 January 2011 (x2)
			  27 January 2011
			  9 March 2011
			  14 March 2011
			  17 March 2011 (x2)
			  
			 Jonathan Djanogly MP 2 February 2011 Nil Return 1 Nil Return

Incapacity Benefit: Tribunals

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many appeals concerning incapacity benefit claims were awaiting listing by the Tribunals Service in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the average time was from the admission of an appeal to the case being heard by a tribunal in the last year for which figures are available.

Jonathan Djanogly: There are always a number of 'live' appeals in the First-tier Tribunal-Social Security and Child Support progressing through the stages of receipt, decision and promulgation. The number of incapacity appeals awaiting listing for a hearing as at 28 February 2011, the latest date for which statistics have been published, was 8,600. The average time taken by the tribunal from receipt of an incapacity benefit appeal to a hearing, over the period April 2010 to the end of February 2011, was 21.1 weeks.
	The functions of the Tribunals Service have now transferred into Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service which was launched on 1 April 2011. This brings together Her Majesty's Courts Service and the Tribunals Service into one agency supporting the administration of justice in both courts and tribunals.

Legal Aid: Poole

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people in Poole constituency received legal aid in each of the last five years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) is responsible for administering the legal aid scheme in England and Wales. The LSC does not record the number of people who receive legal aid, but instead records the number of 'acts of assistance'. One individual may receive a number of separate acts of assistance, and one act of assistance can help more than one person.
	We are re-examining the data in respect of all the Poole constituency and I will write separately with this information.

Marriage of Convenience

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been prosecuted for offences in relation to sham marriages in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: Defendants can be prosecuted under a variety of Acts for offences related to sham marriages, including the Perjury Act 1911, Immigration Act 1971, Identity Cards Act 2006, and the Fraud Act 2006. However it is not possible to identify from data collated centrally by the Ministry of Justice proceedings specifically for sham marriages.

Offenders: Rehabilitation

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding he plans to allocate for female offender rehabilitation centres in each year of the comprehensive spending review period.

Crispin Blunt: Funding for the Women's Community Projects was a one-off grant and ends in April 2011. It has always been the aim to demonstrate the effectiveness of the projects in diverting women from custody who do not pose a risk to the community and embed them as part of local commissioning arrangements.
	The National Offender Management Service has identified funding to sustain community projects that are critical to diverting women away from custody and crime and a further announcement will be made shortly. The Ministry of Justice will continue to encourage the development of services for women in the criminal justice system that address their complex problems.

Offenders: Rehabilitation

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost to the public purse was of the accommodation of a  (a) male offender,  (b) female offender and  (c) female offender in a women's rehabilitation centre in the last year for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: The average overall annual cost per prisoner place in 2009- 10 was:
	Male: £39,719
	Female: £56,415
	This includes prison related overheads met centrally by the National Offender Management Service. This is based on the cost of male and female prisons; where there is a prison holding both male and female prisoners, the data has been allocated to the major use as at 31 March 2010, so the figures do not provide the precise split between male and female prisoners.
	The costs for women's centres differ significantly across the country as the provision varies both in terms of size and scope. Women's community services support community options for the courts that provide alternatives to a woman being remanded or given short sentences. These services cost less than prison; however these costs should be set alongside probation costs for managing community sentences and associated costs e.g. costs of approved premises, which has been estimated as £26,000 per bed place annually.

Prison Service: Finance

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Hyndburn of 29 March 2011,  Official Report, columns 155-6, on prison service (resources), how much was spent in each  (a) prison service establishment and  (b) region in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11; and what the funding settlement is for 2011-12.

Crispin Blunt: The following table provides the National Offender Management Service's resource spend classified as Direct Resource Expenditure which represents costs met by each public and private establishments by region (i) in 2009-10 and (ii) for 2010-11, the latest forecast spend for financial year ending 2010-11.
	
		
			  NOMS prisons resource spend 2009-10 and 2010-11 
			  £ million 
			 Forecast P 11 
			  Region  Establishment name  2009-10  2010-11 
			 North East Acklington 19.1 19.0 
			  Castington 14.8 13.4 
			  Deerbolt 15.1 14.2 
			  Durham 23.0 22.2 
			  Holme House 22.4 24.6 
			  Kirklevington Grange 5.8 5.6 
			  Low Newton 11.7 11.5 
			 North East total  111.9 110.5 
			 
			 Wales Cardiff 16.2 16.1 
			  Swansea 9.2 9.3 
			  Usk 7.5 7.5 
			 Wales total  32.9 32.9 
			 Yorks and Humberside Askham Grange 3.6 3.1 
			  Everthorpe 13.0 12.2 
			  Hull 21.7 20.6 
			  Leeds 24.3 23.5 
			  Lindholme 19.8 18.1 
			  Moorland 21.0 20.4 
			  New Hall 15.8 14.5 
			  Northallerton 5.7 5.5 
			  Wealstun 17.0 17.0 
			  Wetherby 15.3 15.8 
			 Yorks and Humberside total  157.3 152.0 
			 
			 North West Buckley Hall 9.4 9.7 
			  Garth 20.6 20.0 
			  Haverigg 14.4 13.7 
			  Hindley 18.2 18.6 
			  Kennet 11.7 10.8 
			  Kirkham 13.5 12.7 
			  Lancaster Castle 7.4 7.4 
			  Lancaster Farms 16.9 15.3 
			  Liverpool 26.1 26.0 
			  Preston 19.6 18.5 
			  Risley 21.6 20.7 
			  Styal 15.3 14.1 
			  Thorn Cross 8.8 8.5 
			  Wymott 24.1 23.2 
			 North West total  227.5 219.3 
			 
			 West Midlands Birmingham 29.7 29.9 
			  Brinsford 16.3 15.5 
			  Drake Hall 8.2 8.1 
			  Featherstone 14.3 14.5 
			  Hewell Cluster 28.4 28.3 
			  Shrewsbury 8.7 8.6 
			  Stafford 14.8 14.7 
			  Stoke Heath 17.1 17.1 
			  Swinfen Hall 14.8 14.7 
			  Werrington 7.0 7.1 
			 West Midlands total  159.2 158.5 
			 
			 East of England Bedford 11.9 11.7 
			  Blundeston 13.2 12.5 
			  Bullwood Hall 7.1 6.5 
			  Bure 6.4 11.4 
			  Chelmsford 17.7 17.5 
			  Edmunds Hill 9.5 9.1 
			  Highpoint 18.4 17.7 
			  Hollesley Bay 6.9 6.9 
			  Littlehey 16.1 22.4 
			  Mount (The) 16.5 16.3 
			  Norwich 16.6 16.1 
			  Warren Hill 9.9 10.1 
			  Wayland 17.8 18.0 
			 East of England total  168.0 176.2 
			 East Midlands Ashwell 10.8 8.1 
			  Foston Hall 10.0 9.1 
			  Gartree 18.0 17.1 
			  Glen Parva 18.3 17.6 
			  Leicester 9.4 8.9 
			  Lincoln 15.5 14.6 
			  Morton Hall 8.6 7.9 
			  North Sea Camp 5.9 6.0 
			  Nottingham 17.9 22.0 
			  Onley 17.5 16.0 
			  Ranby 21.8 20.7 
			  Stocken 15.4 15.4 
			  Sudbury 9.1 7.8 
			  Wellingborough 13.5 12.0 
			  Whatton 18.2 17.1 
			 East Midlands total  210.0 200.3 
			 
			 South West Bristol 15.5 15.4 
			  Channings Wood 15.8 16.0 
			  Dartmoor 15.3 15.7 
			  Dorchester 7.8 7.3 
			  Eastwood Park 11.2 11.4 
			  Erlestoke 10.8 10.6 
			  Exeter 13.1 12.9 
			  Gloucester 9.2 9.0 
			  Guys Marsh 12.2 11.6 
			  Leyhill 10.4 10.3 
			  Portland 15.6 15.0 
			  Shepton Mallet 6.0 5.9 
			  Verne (The) 11.5 11.3 
			 South West total  154.5 152.4 
			 
			 London Brixton 20.6 21.3 
			  Feltham 33.1 32.0 
			  Holloway 21.4 19.2 
			  Isis 2.7 12.3 
			  Latchmere House 4.6 4.4 
			  Pentonville 31.3 29.2 
			  Wandsworth 36.2 34.1 
			  Wormwood Scrubs 28.0 27.2 
			 London total  177.9 179.8 
			 
			 High Security Belmarsh 39.9 39.8 
			  Frankland 40.7 39.6 
			  Full Sutton 29.4 29.0 
			  Long Lartin 28.0 29.1 
			  Manchester 35.3 36.1 
			  Wakefield 29.3 29.4 
			  Whitemoor 31.6 30.6 
			  Woodhill 32.7 32.8 
			 High Security total  266.9 266.6 
			 
			 South East Aylesbury 13.6 12.4 
			  Blantyre House 3.1 3.0 
			  Bullingdon 22.5 21.2 
			  Canterbury 7.5 7.3 
			  Coldingley 14.0 14.2 
			  Cookham Wood 8.9 9.5 
			  Downview 10.6 | 9.9 
			  East Sutton Park 2.8 2.7 
			  Ford 8.6 7.8 
			  Grendon and Springhill 15.1 9.4 
			  Highdown 24.1 22.0 
			  Huntercombe 13.5 12.9 
			  Isle of Wight Cluster 39.8 39.6 
			  Kingston 6.2 6.1 
			  Lewes 16.3 15.7 
			  Maidstone 12.1 11.4 
			  Reading 9.0 8.2 
			  Rochester 17.6 16.7 
			  Send 8.7 8.4 
			  Isle of Sheppey Cluster 50.7 51.9 
			  Winchester 15.7 14.6 
			 South East total  320.4 320.9 
			 
			 Private Parc 45.4 44.4 
			  Doncaster 23.5 23.8 
			  Wolds 9.3 9.2 
			  Altcourse 46.4 47.9 
			  Forest Bank 31.6 35.6 
			  Dovegate 32.4 37.0 
			  Peterborough 31.3 32.2 
			  Bronzefield 24.4 26.8 
			  Rye Hill 18.5 18.3 
			  Lowdham Grange 20.2 26.2 
			  Ashfield 23.1 25.3 
			 Private total  306.2 326.7 
			 
			 Total  2,292.6 2,287.4 
			  Notes: 1. Displayed figures are subject to rounding. 2. The term 'Direct Resource Expenditure' relates to the costs met locally by establishments. 3. YOI refers to Young Offender Institutions. 4. Data for Elmley, Standford Hill and Swaleside are reported under the Isle of Sheppey Cluster. Similarly, data for Blakenhurst, Brockhill and Hewell Grange are reported together as Hewell Cluster. Data for Parkhurst, Camphill and Albany are reported under the Isle of Wight cluster. 5. Dover, Haslar and Lindholme IND are not included as they are immigration removal centres operating under Detention Centre Rules 2001. 6. Private prisons and high security prisons are shown separately. 7. Prison service resources for 2010-11: The expenditure figures for financial year 2010-2011 are based on forecast as at end of February 2011. 8. Funding settlement for 2011-12: The NOMS total budget for financial year 2011-2012 for public Prisons is £1,870 million and private prisons £311 million. Budgets for individual establishments are still subject to adjustment before being issued.

Prison Service: Manpower

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Hyndburn of 29 March 2011,  Official Report, columns 155-56, on prison service (resources), what the complemented staffing numbers were in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11; and what estimates his Department has made of the change in complemented staffing numbers in each (i) region and (ii) Prison Service establishment in 2011-12.

Crispin Blunt: Information on the complemented staffing numbers are reported regularly by each establishment. The staffing requirements reported for 31 March 2009, 31 March 2010 and 31 December 2010 are shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Staffing requirement by region ,  2009 - 10 
			   Establishment staffing requirement 
			  Region  31 March 2009  31 March 2010  31 December 2010 
			 East Midlands 5,530 5,541 4,911 
			 East of England 4,739 5,114 4,962 
			 London 4,804 4,958 4,851 
			 North East 3,763 3,735 3,632 
			 North West 6,152 6,041 5,828 
			 South East 8,838 8,736 8,341 
			 South West 3,754 3,571 3,488 
			 Wales 920 829 865 
			 West Midlands 4,703 4,671 4,593 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 5,309 5,231 5,249 
			 Total 48,512 48,426 46,720 
		
	
	
		
			  Staffing requirement by region and establishment ,  2009 - 10 
			Establishment staffing requirement 
			  Region  Establishment  31 March 2009  31 March 2010  31 December 2010 
			 East Midlands Ashwell 326 309 219 
			  Foston Hall 328 318 251 
			  Gartree 477 461 435 
			  Glen Parva 528 529 479 
			  Leicester 242 235 212 
			  Lincoln 401 401 337 
			  Morton Hall 225 217 196 
			  North Sea Camp 150 145 122 
			  Nottingham 417 616 566 
			  Onley 440 434 390 
			  Ranby 559 494 438 
			  Stocken 418 398 372 
			  Sudbury 208 203 183 
			  Wellingborough 335 326 291 
			  Whatton 478 457 420 
			  
			 East of England Bedford 276 279 265 
			  Blundeston 308 311 288 
			  Bullwood Hall 169 159 152 
			  Bure 24 311 308 
			  Chelmsford 437 419 409 
			  Edmunds Hill 243 220 220 
			  Highpoint 510 444 449 
			  Hollesley Bay 161 154 144 
			  Littlehey 323 610 594 
			  Norwich 411 404 376 
			  The Mount 357 342 341 
			  Warren Hill 249 247 251 
			  Wayland 463 423 417 
			  Whitemoor 809 793 751 
			  
			 London Belmarsh 1033 989 961 
			  Brixton 365 345 335 
			  Feltham 788 772 734 
			  Holloway 541 521 511 
			  Isis 0 312 312 
			  Latchmere House 84 83 81 
			  Pentonville 652 607 606 
			  Wandsworth 752 738 727 
			  Wormwood Scrubs 590 591 586 
			 North East Frankland 997 1,016 988 
			  Acklington 464 454 439 
			  Castington 394 388 338 
			  Deerbolt 363 350 343 
			  Durham 614 547 526 
			  Holme House 499 561 596 
			  Kirklevington Grange 138 137 130 
			  Low Newton 296 282 273 
			  
			 North West Manchester 922 929 880 
			  Buckley Hall 199 195 198 
			  Garth 533 504 482 
			  Haverigg 322 330 329 
			  Hindley 447 447 427 
			  Kennet 294 289 271 
			  Kirkham 235 231 204 
			  Lancaster 164 167 159 
			  Lancaster Farms 383 372 363 
			  Liverpool 609 607 587 
			  Preston 455 439 421 
			  Risley 500 488 485 
			  Styal 331 321 312 
			  Thorn Cross 209 190 180 
			  Wymott 551 532 530 
			  
			 South East Aylesbury 336 307 311 
			  Blantyre House 67 67 65 
			  Bullingdon 514 489 476 
			  Canterbury 187 184 187 
			  Coldingley 286 287 274 
			  Cookham Wood 235 236 248 
			  Dover 288 257 259 
			  Downview 227 228 216 
			  East Sutton Park 59 61 62 
			  Ford 171 172 166 
			  Grendon 320 316 293 
			  Haslar 106 104 100 
			  High Down 613 502 483 
			  Huntercombe 303 309 225 
			  Isle of Wight 941 911 876 
			  Kingston 139 139 132 
			  Lewes 376 358 365 
			  Maidstone 294 297 281 
			  Reading 226 205 198 
			  Rochester 509 494 454 
			  Send 193 200 191 
			  Sheppey Cluster 1,301 1,467 1,370 
			  Winchester 367 367 341 
			  Woodhill 782 780 766 
			  
			 South West Bristol 374 366 369 
			  Channings Wood 371 349 343 
			  Dartmoor 346 332 326 
			  Dorchester 200 184 171 
			  Eastwood Park 339 282 276 
			  Erlestoke 262 258 259 
			  Exeter 335 317 308 
			  Gloucester 219 218 211 
			  Guys Marsh 293 289 267 
			  Leyhill 222 221 209 
			  Portland 383 358 348 
			  Shepton Mallet 144 139 140 
			  The Verne 268 260 263 
			  
			 Wales Cardiff 457 421 440 
			  Swansea 252 239 240 
			  Usk/Prescoed 211 169 185 
			  
			 West Midlands Long Lartin 655 732 706 
			  Birmingham 810 753 753 
			  Brinsford 415 400 369 
			  Drake Hall 189 177 181 
			  Featherstone 349 331 333 
			  Hewell 652 654 656 
			  Shrewsbury 215 207 206 
			  Stafford 388 380 367 
			  Stoke Heath 474 455 455 
			  Swinfen Hall 418 400 384 
			  Werrington 140 182 184 
			  
			 Yorkshire and Humberside Full Sutton 786 788 762 
			  Wakefield 773 765 741 
			  Askham Grange 73 73 60 
			  Everthorpe 316 300 283 
			  Hull 504 489 492 
			  Leeds 578 576 582 
			  Lindholme 530 511 478 
			  Moorland 507 499 497 
			  New Hall 380 374 373 
			  Northallerton 142 141 134 
			  Wealstun 333 330 431 
			  Wetherby 388 388 417 
			 Total  48,512 48,426 46,720 
		
	
	The National Offender Management Service is currently in the process of finalising budget allocations for 2011-12. Once we have completed this process we will able to provide an indication of staff complements by (i) region and (ii) Prison Service establishment.

Prison Service: Manpower

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Hyndburn of 29 March 2011,  Official Report, columns 155-56, on prison service (resources), how many Prison Service staff were employed in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11; and what estimate he has made of the likely number of redundancies among Prison Service staff in each (i) region and (ii) Prison Service establishment in 2011-12.

Crispin Blunt: Information on the full-time equivalent staff in post by region and establishment, for 31 March 2009, 31 March 2010 and 31 December 2010 are shown in the following tables:
	
		
			  Staff in post by region  2009 - 10 
			   Full- time equivalent staff in post 
			  Region  31 March 2009  31 March 2010  31 December 2010 
			 East Midlands 5,304 5,050 4,634 
			 East of England 4,568 4,671 4,572 
			 London 4,518 4,356 4,423 
			 North East 3,641 3,551 3,495 
			 North West 6,115 5,822 5,712 
			 South East 8,321 7,990 7,791 
			 South West 3,634 3,329 3,328 
			 Wales 880 799 825 
			 West Midlands 4,638 4,473 4,395 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 5,271 5,040 5,046 
			 Total 46,889 45,079 44,220 
		
	
	
		
			  Staff in  post by region and establishment ,  2009 - 10 
			   Full - time equivalent staff in post 
			  Region  Establishment  31 March 2009  31 March 2010  31 December 2010 
			 East Midlands Ashwell 310 267 201 
			  Foston Hall 296 283 251 
			  Gartree 445 425 396 
			  Glen Parva 481 444 445 
			  Leicester 236 226 205 
			  Lincoln 390 368 340 
			  Morton Hall 223 209 176 
			  North Sea Camp 145 133 119 
			  Nottingham 403 508 531 
			  Onley 399 400 352 
			  Ranby 554 517 458 
			  Stocken 409 360 349 
			  Sudbury 207 190 166 
			  Wellingborough 333 292 250 
			  Whatton 472 428 395 
			  
			 East of England Bedford 272 241 239 
			  Blundeston 309 282 270 
			  Bullwood Hall 164 146 139 
			  Bure 23 281 287 
			  Chelmsford 405 381 371 
			  Edmunds Hill 231 214 196 
			  Highpoint 468 439 407 
			  Hollesley Bay 147 141 132 
			  Littlehey 329 499 523 
			  Norwich 446 363 352 
			  The Mount 344 329 315 
			  Warren Hill 238 226 228 
			  Wayland 443 391 389 
			  Whitemoor 748 738 724 
			  
			 London Belmarsh 944 891 867 
			  Brixton 353 333 320 
			  Feltham 732 709 686 
			  Holloway 507 476 442 
			  Isis - 56 250 
			  Latchmere House 82 79 78 
			  Pentonville 603 588 558 
			  Wandsworth 717 688 680 
			  Wormwood Scrubs 579 536 540 
			  
			 North East Frankland 950 961 932 
			  Acklington 455 448 439 
			  Castington 370 364 327 
			  Deerbolt 361 329 327 
			  Durham 585 542 527 
			  Holme House 493 500 537 
			  Kirklevington Grange 135 129 126 
			  Low Newton 291 278 278 
			  
			 North West Manchester 865 845 835 
			  Buckley Hall 215 197 216 
			  Garth 519 481 487 
			  Haverigg 319 312 301 
			  Hindley 451 418 410 
			  Kennet 291 276 261 
			  Kirkham 232 224 217 
			  Lancaster 174 162 160 
			  Lancaster Farms 407 369 349 
			  Liverpool 624 608 591 
			  Preston 465 436 422 
			  Risley 492 476 473 
			  Styal 323 322 310 
			  Thorn Cross 199 186 175 
			  Wymott 539 510 507 
			  
			 South East Aylesbury 304 288 267 
			  Blantyre House 68 65 66 
			  Bullingdon 482 464 449 
			  Canterbury 195 178 176 
			  Coldingley 255 258 255 
			  Cookham Wood 220 211 216 
			  Dover 254 244 237 
			  Downview 220 208 205 
			  East Sutton Park 60 58 59 
			  Ford 167 156 155 
			  Grendon 318 307 287 
			  Haslar 104 96 96 
			  High Down 549 490 475 
			  Huntercombe 276 272 234 
			  Isle of Wight 924 858 835 
			  Kingston 145 124 125 
			  Lewes 357 342 333 
			  Maidstone 296 280 270 
			  Reading 203 177 181 
			  Rochester 473 444 397 
			  Send 177 173 181 
			  Sheppey Cluster 1192 1224 1239 
			  Winchester 353 339 322 
			  Woodhill 731 734 733 
			  
			 South West Bristol 361 330 331 
			  Channings Wood 371 334 346 
			  Dartmoor 335 310 306 
			  Dorchester 196 172 167 
			  Eastwood Park 290 259 253 
			  Erlestoke 250 230 229 
			  Exeter 328 288 284 
			  Gloucester 207 203 200 
			  Guys Marsh 281 269 281 
			  Leyhill 210 191 193 
			  Portland 386 363 355 
			  Shepton Mallet 144 130 130 
			  The Verne 273 248 253 
			  
			 Wales Cardiff 443 417 424 
			  Swansea 245 220 228 
			  Usk/Prescoed 192 162 173 
			  
			 West Midlands Long Lartin 674 683 669 
			  Birmingham 782 735 706 
			  Brinsford 398 386 368 
			  Drake Hall 182 173 174 
			  Featherstone 353 353 345 
			  Hewell 647 610 611 
			  Shrewsbury 218 202 201 
			  Stafford 383 378 364 
			  Stoke Heath 444 418 420 
			  Swinfen Hall 386 364 357 
			  Werrington 171 170 178 
			  
			 Yorkshire and Humberside Full Sutton 763 735 718 
			  Wakefield 746 715 696 
			  Askham Grange 75 74 62 
			  Everthorpe 308 300 284 
			  Hull 498 500 480 
			  Leeds 602 555 575 
			  Lindholme 525 476 467 
			  Moorland 502 479 483 
			  New Hall 385 366 353 
			  Northallerton 141 128 130 
			  Wealstun 349 355 399 
			  Wetherby 377 357 401 
			  
			 Total  46,889 45,079 44,220 
		
	
	The National Offender Management Service is currently in the process of finalising budget allocations for 2011-12. Once we have completed this process we will able to provide an indication of staff complements by (a) region and (b) establishment and the number of staff above natural wastage we will need to lose.

Prisoners: McDonalds Meals

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what reports he has received on the purchasing of McDonalds meals for prisoners by Prison Service staff.

Crispin Blunt: All prisons must have a local contingency plan in place to cover the provision of alternative catering arrangements in the event that normal facilities are lost. Plans may identify, for immediate short term purposes, local sources of ready prepared meals which may include take away facilities. I am not aware, though, of any reports such as referred to by the hon. Member.

Prisoners: Poole

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convicted prisoners had a home address in Poole constituency on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: Information on a prisoner's residence is provided by prisoners on reception into prison and recorded on a central IT system. Addresses include a prisoner's home address, an address to which they intend to return on discharge and next of kin and these figures are provided in the following table.
	If no address is given, a prisoner's committal court address is used as a proxy for the area in which a prisoner is resident. This is required for about 40% of the prison population and these figures are also provided in the following table. No address has been recorded and no court information is available for around 3% of prisoners, these figures are excluded from the answer.
	The following table shows the number of convicted prisoners as at March 25 2011 who have a recorded residential address or proxy, as described above in the constituency area of Poole.
	
		
			   Number of prisoners 
			 Recorded address 40 
			 Proxy address 13 
			 Total 53 
		
	
	The figures include convicted male and female prisoners, adults, young offenders and juveniles that are held in prisons and young offender institutions.

Reoffenders

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the reoffending rate was for  (a) male offenders,  (b) female offenders and  (c) female offenders housed in a women's rehabilitation centre in the last year for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: The one year re-conviction data cover all adult offenders released from custody or commencing a court order between January and March 2009.
	The following table shows the one year re-conviction rates for male and female adult offenders.
	
		
			  Adult one-year re-conviction rates, 2009, by gender 
			  Gender  Number of offenders  Re-conviction rate (%) 
			 Males 49,104 40.1 
			 Females 7,512 34.5 
			 Total 56,616 39.3 
		
	
	Further breakdowns of re-conviction data for female offenders housed in a women's rehabilitation centre is not available.
	More information on the re-conviction rates is available from the Ministry of Justice website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/reoffendingofadults.htm

Reparation by Offenders: Finance

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the funding allocation was for restorative justice schemes in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11; and what level of funding he has allocated for such schemes in 2011-12.

Crispin Blunt: The MoJ does not directly commission restorative justice services. A number of services are funded locally but we do not hold central information on what these allocations amount to. To support professional standards for delivering restorative justice, the Ministry of Justice allocated £25,000 in 2009-10 and £75,000 in 2010-11 to the Restorative Justice Council (previously Consortium) to support their work in providing quality assurance to restorative justice schemes through the dissemination of best practice, standards and accreditation. This includes the development of a new online national Trainers Register and new Practitioner Register, due to be launched this year
	As we set out in the recent Green Paper 'Breaking the Cycle', we want to increase the range and availability of restorative justice approaches. We will be publishing our response to the consultation in May which will set out our approach to help deliver more effective restorative practices.

Trespass

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will review the law on trespass; what recent representations he has received on the law on trespass; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: We have received a number of representations from MPs and members of the public calling for the law on squatting to be strengthened. I also spoke in an Adjournment Debate in Westminster Hall on 30 March 2011,  Official Report, column 97WH, where the problems caused by squatters were discussed. As I mentioned during that debate, we continue to look at the options for strengthening the law and will announce our plans soon. In the meantime we have published new guidance on the 'Direct Gov' website for property owners on evicting squatters from their properties.

Wills: Regulation

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has plans to bring forward proposals to regulate unqualified and uninsured will writers.

Jonathan Djanogly: I have no plans to regulate will writers at present. However, The Legal Services Act 2007 (LSA) contains provisions which allow the Legal Services Board to recommend to me that a legal service such as will writing becomes a reserved legal activity, which would then be regulated.
	Since the Legal Services Board (LSB) is currently investigating whether or not it would be in the interests of the legal consumer to regulate will writing, it is more appropriate for me to await the outcome of that investigation before making an assessment of next steps.

CABINET OFFICE

National Citizen Service Pilot Schemes

Robert Syms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many places on the National Citizen Service pilot schemes will be available in  (a) Poole and  (b) Dorset in the summer of 2011.

Nick Hurd: No National Citizen Service pilots took place in 2001.
	There are no NCS pilots planned in the areas of Poole or Dorset in 2011, but there are 1,175 pilot places spread across the south-west region. A list of the numbers planned in each geographical location is available in the Libraries of the House. I have also written to every hon. Member whose constituency is likely to overlap with a local NCS pilot.
	There is also regional map of NCS 2011 pilot locations available at:
	www.direct.gov.uk/nationalcitizenservice
	which provides contact details for every lead delivery organisation.

National Citizen Service Pilot Schemes

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many expressions of interest in the National Citizen Service pilot he has received from  (a) individuals and  (b) organisations.

Nick Hurd: Two hundred and fifty expressions of interest to deliver National Citizen Service pilots in summer 2011 were received in the competitive commissioning process opened on 2 August 2010. All applications were received from organisations or consortia of organisations. The process was not open to individuals.
	A competitive commissioning for delivering National Citizen Service pilots planned for summer 2012 opened on 9 March 2011. The deadline for initial proposals is 5 May 2011 and the process is only open to organisations or consortia (not individuals). Details of how to apply are available on the Cabinet Office and Department for Education websites.
	National Citizen Service 2011 pilots are now recruiting 16-year-olds to take part and individuals to help run the activities as volunteers or paid staff. Anyone interested can visit
	www.direct.gov.uk/nationalcitizenservice
	or
	www.facebook.com/ncs
	to find out if there is a pilot in their local area and get contact details for the lead delivery organisation.

Cancer: Bolton

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many patients were  (a) screened for,  (b) diagnosed with and  (c) treated for cancer in (i) Bolton South East constituency and (ii) Bolton borough in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated April 2011:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many patients were (a) screened for (b) diagnosed with and (c) treated for cancer in (i) Bolton South East consistency and (ii) Bolton borough in each of the last five years.
	The latest available figures for (b) newly diagnosed cases of cancer (incidence) are for the year 2008. Please note that these numbers may not be the same as the number of people diagnosed with cancer, because one person may be diagnosed with more than one cancer.
	The tables attached provide the number of newly diagnosed cases of cancer in (i) Bolton South East parliamentary consistency (Table 1) and (ii) Bolton metropolitan district (Table 2), for years 2004 to 2008.
	The latest published figures on the incidence of cancer in England are available on the National Statistics website at:
	www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/mb1-39/mb1-no39-2008.pdf
	ONS does not publish figures on the number of patients (a) screened for and (c) treated for cancer. The NHS Information Centre (NHS-IC) publishes figures on the number of patients invited to breast and cervical screening, for strategic health authorities and primary care trusts. The latest published figures can be found on the NHS-IC website at:
	http://www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/screening
	
		
			  Table 1: Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of cancer, Bolton South East parliamentary constituency, 2004- 08( 1, 2, 3) 
			   Number of persons 
			 2004 449 
			 2005 448 
			 2006 448 
			 2007 488 
			 2008 449 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 : Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of cancer, Bolton  metropolitan district , 2004- 08( 1, 2, 3) 
			   Number of persons 
			 2004 1,261 
			 2005 1,251 
			 2006 1,350 
			 2007 1,325 
			 2008 1,309 
			 (1) Cancer incidence is defined using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes C00-C97 excluding code C44, non-melanoma skin cancer. (2) Based on boundaries as of 2011. (3) Newly diagnosed cases registered in each calendar year.

Census

David Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate the Office for National Statistics has made of the cost to the public purse of  (a) production and  (b) dispatch of forms for the 2011 Census printed in both English and Welsh; and what the cost to the public purse was of postage for such forms sent to addresses in Wales.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what estimate the Office for National Statistics has made of the cost to the public purse of (a) production and (b) dispatch of forms for the 2011 Census printed in both English and Welsh; and what the cost to the public purse was of postage for such forms sent to addresses in Wales. (50431)
	The printing of questionnaires, envelopes, information leaflets, guides to questions and other printed materials for the 2011 Census is all part of one large contract and it is not possible to extract accurate figures specifically for the costs of printing questionnaires due to the amount of set-up, development and storage costs within this larger cost.
	The cost of printing all of the millions of questionnaires, information leaflets, and envelopes etc, which is estimated to be over one billion separate pieces of paper, is £18,057,000 at contract award.
	In Wales there were 3,811,400 questionnaires printed, half of which were in English and half in Welsh in order to comply with ONS's obligations under its own Welsh Language Scheme and the provisions of the Welsh Language Act.
	The cost for the delivery of questionnaires to households in Wales is part of a postal contract with Royal Mail. In Wales the cost of delivering the questionnaire pack to households was 0.30p. Each questionnaire pack comprised both an English and a Welsh Language questionnaire, return envelope and information leaflets. This came to a total of £434,763 which covered the delivery of 1,418,677 questionnaire packs.
	The remaining questionnaires printed, but not delivered, are either individual questionnaires, replacement questionnaires or continuation questionnaires. These are available on request and will, if required, either be issued by census field staff in the course of their duties or will be delivered separately from this initial round of deliveries.

Census

Bob Russell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what arrangements the Office for National Statistics has to include in the 2011 census returns members of HM armed forces normally resident in the UK who were serving in Afghanistan on 27 March 2011;
	(2)  whether the total population of Colchester reckoned in the 2011 census will include those members of the armed forces normally based at Merville Barracks, Colchester, who are serving in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated April 2011:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking (i) what arrangements the Office for National Statistics has to include in the 2011 Census returns members of HM forces normally resident in the UK who are serving in Afghanistan on 27 March 2011 (50507); and, (ii) whether the total population of Colchester reckoned in the 2011 Census will include those members of HM armed forces normally based at Merville Barracks, Colchester, who are serving in Afghanistan. (50508)
	Armed forces personnel based in the UK are counted as usually resident in the UK. This applies even if they are deployed outside the UK, (for example serving in Afghanistan) on census day, 27 March. Such people should be included on the questionnaire sent to their permanent home in the UK, for example, their family home. Those members of the armed forces without a permanent address other than the military base where they are based, should be recorded as a resident at the base address.
	In some situations this may mean that armed forces personnel are recorded as being resident at the home of their parents, which may be in a different area of England and Wales from where they are based. In these circumstances, those responsible for completing the questionnaire in respect of armed forces personnel are asked in question 5 whether or not the person in question stays at another address for more than 30 days a year. They should tick the 'yes' box and record the address of the military base where that person is based. In question 6 they are then asked if the address given in question 5 is an armed forces base.
	ONS can then produce accurate population statistics for those areas containing armed forces bases, showing the number of people who actually live and use services in an area, rather than just the number of people who record themselves as actually living in such areas.
	Therefore, armed forces personnel based in Colchester, will be recorded in the census population statistics as staying in Colchester, whether or not they are deployed in Afghanistan.

Census

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office for what reasons Lockheed Martin were contracted to gather UK Census data.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for what reasons Lockheed Martin were contracted to gather UK census data. (50578)
	ONS has a statutory duty to take the 2011 Census in England and Wales and is legally responsible for gathering and processing the data to create census statistics.
	Lockheed Martin UK was contracted to provide a range of support services for the England and Wales census because it provided the best value for money, the best technical solution, and was compliant with the requirements as set out in the procurement process.
	ONS carried out a fully compliant procurement in accordance with the requirements of European law and the European Union Procurement Directives, which have been incorporated into English law.
	No employees of Lockheed Martin UK, or their US parent, will have any access to personal census data.

Community Development: Greater London

David Evennett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans his Department has to provide opportunities for the training of community organisers in  (a) the London borough of Bexley and  (b) London.

Nick Hurd: The first community organisers to be trained in London will be placed in Camberwell and in Canning Town, hosted in local VCS organisations. At the moment, there are no plans to train and place community organisers in the London borough of Bexley.
	The initial approach of Locality (the delivery partner for the Community Organiser programme) is to work through its membership of community-led and owned neighbourhood centres. These are willing to recruit, support and sustain community organisers in their role. However, involvement is not limited to Locality's membership and any interested organisation can make an expression of interest through Locality's website.
	The first tranche of 30 trainees will be hosted by 'kick-starter' organisations in Cumbria, Hull, Manchester, Birmingham, east counties, Bristol, Cornwall and London.

Community Relations

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the effects of differing levels of trust within a community on levels of (i) crime and (ii) mental health disorders.

Nick Hurd: The Cabinet Office has not commissioned research on the effects of differing levels of trust within communities on levels of crime or mental health problems.

Departmental Legal Costs

David Nuttall: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department spent on legal fees in  (a) 2009 and  (b) 2010.

Nick Hurd: The Cabinet Office has spent the following on legal fees:
	2009-10; £2,066,447
	2010-11 (to end of February 2011): £2,642,005.

Employment: Graduates

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many  (a) graduate and  (b) post-graduate level jobs with starting salaries of £20,000 or more per annum there were in each region in the most recent year for which figures are available.

David Willetts: holding answer 28 March 2011
	I have been asked to reply.
	Information on the number of graduate jobs available per annum is not held by the Department.
	Information on the salaries of graduates six months after graduating is collected via the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey. Graduates in employment are asked to declare their salary. Not all graduates eligible to declare a salary do so: the response rate to this question is usually around 50%. Therefore, the following table shows the proportion of DLHE respondents declaring a salary who were earning £20,000 or more per annum, rather than the number.
	The information presented in the table relates to all jobs which graduates are employed in, not specifically those defined as graduate level jobs.
	
		
			  Proportion of UK domiciled graduates who studied full-time, entered full-time employment in the UK six months after graduating and declared a salary in the DLHE survey, who were earning £20,000 or more per annum: graduates in academic year 2008/09 
			  Percentage 
			  Region of employment  First degree  Postgraduate 
			 North East 50.3 81.2 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 42.4 81.8 
			 North West 44.2 82.7 
			 East Midlands 46.0 84.2 
			 West Midlands 50.0 86.0 
			 East 49.0 87.9 
			 London 61.8 89.4 
			 South East 50.3 86.4 
			 South West 46.5 80.8 
			 Channel Islands and Isle of Man 72.1 87.5 
			 England region unknown 55.9 77.7 
			 Wales 44.6 77.8 
			 Scotland 57.3 80.1 
			 Northern Ireland 41.5 66.1 
			 Not known 58.6 75.9 
			 All regions 50.9 84.4 
			  Source:  DLHE survey Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Public Expenditure

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what mechanisms have been put in place to enable members of the public to make suggestions to the Government in support of its Big Society agenda.

Nick Hurd: Big Society is about shifting power away from Whitehall to give the public greater control over their communities, by decentralising power, supporting community action and opening up public services.
	The Cabinet Office has invited wide input into policy related to the Big Society, receiving around 500 responses to our consultation on supporting the VCSE sector: 'Supporting a Stronger Civil Society', through the 'Sector Challenge' which invited the voluntary sector's ideas on spending reductions, and through our Green Paper on Giving which elicited around 400 responses.
	The Government have explicitly invited comments on how Big Society can be accelerated through the Department for Communities and Local Government 'Barrier Busting' website, and Departments also routinely consult on relevant policy issues such as the involvement of local people in public health, and neighbourhood justice panels.

Public Sector Workers

Robert Syms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether he has received any expressions of interest in forming a mutual from any public sector workers in  (a) Poole and  (b) Dorset.

Nick Hurd: The Cabinet Office has not directly received any expressions of interest from public sector workers interested in forming a mutual from Dorset or Poole. However, the Cabinet Office would of course be pleased to engage with any interested parties in these areas.
	The Mutuals Information Service run by Local Partnerships, Employee Ownership Association and Co-operatives UK reports that they have received inquiries from two groups of public sector workers in this area.

Third Sector

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department provided to each charity it funds in each of the last five years; and how much he has allocated for funding to each such charity in each of the next five years.

Nick Hurd: Officials are currently looking at the best way for Departments to regularly report publicly on spending, both in terms of baseline levels and how these levels change through the spending period.
	It is therefore not currently possible to provide this information without the Department incurring disproportionate costs.
	Details of all new central Government contracts are now available online at
	www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk

Third Sector

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department spent on encouraging people to volunteer in each of the last five years; and how much he expects to spend in each of the next five years.

Nick Hurd: The Cabinet Office annual report and accounts contain details of the Department's spending on programmes to encourage participation in society. The accounts for 2008 - 09 and 2009-10 are available on the Cabinet Office website at
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/plans-and-performance
	Departmental expenditure by programme area is detailed in note 11, page 98.
	Data covering 2007-08 and 2006-07 are available in previous Cabinet Office annual reports, which can be found on the National Archive of the Cabinet Office website at
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100304041448/http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk
	Budgets for the years 2011-12 to 2014-15 have not been finalised.

Training: Community Organisers

Robert Syms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what opportunities his Department plans to make available for training community organisers in  (a) Poole and  (b) Dorset.

Nick Hurd: At the moment, there are no plans to train and place Community Organisers in Poole and Dorset. Locality's initial approach is to work through its membership of community-led and owned neighbourhood centres, willing to recruit, support and sustain community organisers in their role.
	However, involvement is not limited to Locality's membership and any interested organisation can make an expression of interest through Locality's web site.
	The first tranche of 30 trainees will be hosted by 'kick-starter' organisations in Cumbria, Hull, Manchester, Birmingham, east counties and London. In the south west region, there are two further kick-starters in Bristol and Penwith, Cornwall.

Transition Fund

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many applications to the Transition Fund from each parliamentary constituency have been  (a) successful and  (b) unsuccessful to date.

Nick Hurd: To date there have been 201 awards from the Transition Fund. We do not publish details of unsuccessful applicants. A table of the breakdown of successful awards by constituency has been placed in the Library of the House.
	
		
			  Constituency  Number of awards 
			 Barking 1 
			 Barnsley Central 1 
			 Bermondsey and Old Southwark 2 
			 Bethnal Green and Bow 3 
			 Bexhill and Battle 1 
			 Birkenhead 2 
			 Birmingham, Hall Green 2 
			 Birmingham, Hodge Hill 2 
			 Birmingham, Ladywood 4 
			 Birmingham, Perry Barr 2 
			 Blackburn 1 
			 Bolton South East 1 
			 Bournemouth West 1 
			 Bradford East 1 
			 Bradford West 2 
			 Bridgwater and West Somerset 1 
			 Brighton, Kemptown 1 
			 Brighton, Pavilion 1 
			 Bristol East 4 
			 Bristol West 3 
			 Bury North 2 
			 Bury St Edmunds 1 
			 Camberwell and Peckham 1 
			 Camborne and Redruth 1 
			 Cambridge 1 
			 Carshalton and Wallington 1 
			 Coventry, South 1 
			 Croydon North 1 
			 Darlington 1 
			 Daventry 1 
			 Derby North 1 
			 Doncaster Central 2 
			 Dulwich and West Norwood 2 
			 Easington 1 
			 Edmonton 1 
			 Exeter 4 
			 Filton and Bradley Stoke 1 
			 Gloucester 3 
			 Great Grimsby 1 
			 Great Yarmouth 2 
			 Hackney North and Stoke Newington 1 
			 Hackney South and Shoreditch 5 
			 Hammersmith 3 
			 Hampstead and Kilburn 1 
			 Harborough 1 
			 Harlow 1 
			 Harrogate and Knaresborough 1 
			 Hartlepool 4 
			 Holborn and St Pancras 4 
			 Hove 1 
			 Ipswich 1 
			 Isle of Wight 1 
			 Islington North 4 
			 Islington South and Finsbury 4 
			 Kenilworth and Southam 1 
			 Kensington 1 
			 Kettering 1 
			 Kingston Upon Hull North 1 
			 Leeds Central 2 
			 Leeds North West 1 
			 Leicester South 3 
			 Leicester West 2 
			 Leigh 1 
			 Lewisham East 1 
			 Lichfield 1 
			 Lincoln 1 
			 Liverpool, Riverside 1 
			 Liverpool, Walton 1 
			 Liverpool, West Derby 1 
			 Loughborough 3 
			 Luton South 1 
			 Manchester Central 1 
			 Middlesbrough 3 
			 Morecambe and Lunesdale 1 
			 Newark 1 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne Central 2 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne East 2 
			 North Cornwall 1 
			 North East Somerset 1 
			 North Shropshire 1 
			 North Tyneside 1 
			 Norwich South 1 
			 Nottingham East 3 
			 Nottingham North 1 
			 Oldham East and Saddleworth 1 
			 Oldham West and Royton 1 
			 Oxford East 1 
			 Pendle 2 
			 Plymouth Moor View 1 
			 Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport 2 
			 Putney 1 
			 Reading East 1 
			 Reigate 1 
			 Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner 1 
			 Rushcliffe 1 
			 Sedgefield 1 
			 Sheffield Central 3 
			 Shrewsbury and Atcham 1 
			 Slough 1 
			 Somerton and Frome 1 
			 South Swindon 1 
			 South West Devon 1 
			 Southampton, Itchen 1 
			 St Helens South and Whiston 1 
			 St Ives 1 
			 Stockton South 1 
			 Stourbridge 1 
			 Stretford and Urmston 3 
			 Stroud 1 
			 Sutton Coldfield 2 
			 Telford 1 
			 Thirsk and Malton 1 
			 Tonbridge and Malling 1 
			 Tooting 2 
			 Torridge and West Devon 1 
			 Tottenham 2 
			 Twickenham 1 
			 Tynemouth 1 
			 Vauxhall 2 
			 Walthamstow 1 
			 Warley 1 
			 Warwick and Leamington 1 
			 Waveney 1 
			 Wells 1 
			 Welwyn Hatfield 1 
			 Wentworth and Dearne 1 
			 West Bromwich East 1 
			 West Bromwich West 1 
			 West Dorset 1 
			 Westminster North 2 
			 Winchester 1 
			 Worcester 1 
			 Wycombe 1 
			 Wythenshawe and Sale East 1 
			 York Central 1 
			 Grand total 201

Transition Fund

Robert Syms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether any charities or voluntary groups in  (a) Poole and  (b) Dorset have received support from the Transition Fund.

Nick Hurd: There have been no Transition Fund awards so far to charities in Poole. There were two Transition Fund awards made in March to charities in Dorset. Further details about these were published in the press release issued on 22 March. These early awards will be followed by many more during April and May.

HEALTH

Cancer: Drugs

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will issue guidance to strategic health authorities and clinical panels on steps to ensure timely access to the Cancer Drugs Fund by patients with a late diagnosis of cancer.

Paul Burstow: The Department published 'Guidance to support operation of the Cancer Drugs Fund in 2010-11' on 23 March 2011. The guidance is intended primarily for strategic health authorities (SHAs) and their clinically-led panels.
	The guidance specifies that it is imperative that decisions affecting individuals' treatment are made in a timely fashion. SHAs should ensure that the process put in place supports timely decision-making for all cancer patients, bearing in mind the 31-day cancer treatment standard.
	A copy of the guidance has been placed in the Library.

Clostridium

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of recurrences of  clostridium difficile were due to re-infection rather than relapse in the latest period for which figures are available; and how such recurrences are recorded in mandatory surveillance statistics.

Simon Burns: The Health Protection Agency (HPA) does not routinely collect data on the proportion of  Clostridium difficile infections that were as a result of re-infection rather than relapse. The HPA surveillance system is only able to capture data on numbers of cases diagnosed. In order to establish whether a particular infection is a re-infection or a relapse, it is necessary to culture the organism (not a routine test) then perform strain typing (additional molecular test). This will give some idea as to whether the infection is new or not.

Dental Services

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the cost to  (a) the public purse and  (b) dental practices of the Care Quality Commission registration process for dental practitioners.

Simon Burns: The Care Quality Commission estimates that the cost to them of registering primary dental care providers in 2011-12 will be £15.8 million. These costs will be met by an estimated £8.1 million paid in fees by primary dental care providers and £7.7 million of grant in aid provided by the Department.
	In addition, the Department has estimated that the cost to primary dental care providers of applying for registration for the first time and complying with the registration requirements would be a one-off cost of between £4 million and £4.8 million.

Departmental Consultants

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has hosted any meetings with representatives of Mandate Communications over the last six months; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: No.

Departmental Contracts

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contracts his Department and its associated public bodies signed with Lockheed Martin in each of the last 10 years; and for what purposes each such contract was let.

Simon Burns: A search of the Department's central procurements database shows that no contracts have been entered into with Lockheed Martin up to 31 December 2010. The central database was introduced in July 2008; to gather any further information on previous years, before the introduction of the database, would involve a search within every departmental directorate which would involve disproportionate cost.
	None of the Department's associated public bodies has signed a contract with Lockheed Martin in each of the last 10 years.

Departmental Official Cars

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date  (a) he and  (b) each other Minister in his Department last used a ministerial car while travelling in an official capacity; and how many times (i) he and (ii) each other Minister in his Department has travelled to their constituency in a ministerial car since May 2010.

Simon Burns: Data taken from ministerial diaries are set out in the following table. Data are up to and including the 30 March 2011.
	
		
			  Minister  Last date travelled by ministerial Government car service pool car  Number of times a ministerial car was used to travel to constituency 
			 Secretary of State 30 March 2011 12 
			 Minister of State (Mr Simon Burns) 30 March 2011 154 
			 Minister of State (Paul Burstow) 24 March 2011 29 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Anne Milton) 30 March 2011 134 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Earl Howe) 28 March 2011 (1)- 
			 (1) Does not have a constituency.  Notes: 1. In line with the new Ministerial Code, Ministers at the Department gave up their allocated cars and drivers when existing contracts ended on 19 August 2010. 2. In line with the Ministerial code, Ministers are permitted the use of an official car for official business and for home to office journeys within a reasonable distance of London on the understanding that they would normally be carrying classified papers on which they would be working.

Departmental Public Transport

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  on what date  (a) he and  (b) each other Minister in his Department last travelled by (i) London Underground and (ii) public bus services on government business; how many times (A) he and (B) each other Minister in his Department has travelled by each such form of transport on government business since May 2010; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many of his ministerial team have been issued with  (a) an Oyster card and  (b) a (i) monthly and (ii) annual travel card valid on London Transport and paid for by his Department for use while travelling on government business.

Simon Burns: All Ministers in the Department use public transport, where practical, while travelling on official Government business. However, the information requested is not formally recorded.
	Oyster cards paid for by the Department, under the prepay system, are used when Ministers are travelling on official business. Ministers regularly use their own personal oyster cards to cover the cost of such journeys. No monthly or annual travel cards are paid for by the Department, but where Ministers have these and they are valid on London transport, they use them to travel on official business.

Departmental Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on ministerial travel by  (a) ministerial car,  (b) train,  (c) bus,  (d) commercial aircraft and  (e) private aircraft since May 2010.

Simon Burns: The information held on the Department's Business Management System shows that invoices were processed from 1 May 2010 to 28 February 2011 for the amounts to the value shown in the following table:(1)
	
		
			  £ 
			  Minister  Ministerial car costs( 2)  Train costs  Bus and London underground  Commercial air travel costs( 3)  Private air travel costs 
			 Secretary of State 35,762 1,850 (4)- 2,610 0 
			 Minister of State (Mr Simon Burns) 41,384 653 (4)- 3,603 0 
			 Minister of State (Mr Paul Burstow) 25,853 314 (4)- 0 0 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Anne Milton) 39,344 1,705 (4)- 336 0 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Earl Howe) 28,069 726 (4)- 0 0 
			 (1)( )Data have been extracted from the categories listed above as defined on the Department's Business Management System. Data are incomplete as spend categorised as general office expenditure can include ministerial train, bus and London underground costs, which cannot be readily identified on the system.  (2) In line with the new Ministerial Code, Ministers at the Department gave up their allocated cars and drivers when existing contracts ended on 19 August 2010.  (3) Includes both United Kingdom and overseas flight costs.  (4) Unknown.

Exercise

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on sporting and physical activity as a means of maintaining health; and whether he is taking steps to reflect this position in health policies.

Anne Milton: Promoting the benefits of regular participation in physical activity remains central to the Government's commitment to improve public health and well-being in England. The health benefits of physical activity are significant. As well as assisting in the maintenance of a healthy weight, physical activity can have a beneficial effect on up to 20 chronic diseases or conditions, including a lower risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, mental health and certain types of cancer.
	The Public Health White Paper "Healthy Lives, Healthy People" sets out the Government's strategy for public health in England.
	The Government are also keen to maximise the opportunities to get the least active children and young people involved in sport and physical activity. Therefore, the Department is investing up to £20 million to promote physical activity for children and young people through Change4Life sports clubs and the School Games, in partnership with Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Department for Education.

General Practitioners

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms he plans to put in place for  (a) GP consortia and  (b) foundation trusts at risk of financial failure; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The NHS Commissioning Board will be responsible for assessment of the performance of general practitioner (GP) consortia. The Health and Social Care Bill will introduce clear powers to enable the NHS Commissioning Board to intervene where a GP consortia is failing to discharge its functions or where there is a risk of it failing to do so. This includes a consortia's duty to ensure that expenditure in any financial year does not exceed their allocated budget.
	The powers set out in the Bill will be supported by regulations that will set out the process for using the powers of intervention set out in the Bill. Guidance will be published on these areas by the Board so that there is a clear, transparent, rules-based approach to intervention.
	Commissioners would have primary responsibility for ensuring the continuity of health care services, on behalf of their populations, and whether provided by NHS foundation trusts, GP practices or other independent providers. The Health and Social Care Bill proposes that commissioners would review services in consultation with local partners and apply to Monitor to designate services as subject to additional regulation, where withdrawal of those services would result in adverse impact on health and there are no alternative providers. Monitor would have an important role, as economic regulator, in supporting commissioners by imposing additional regulation to secure continued access to designated services, including, as a last resort, by implementing a special administration regime to secure continued provision of designated services in an insolvency. In addition, the Bill proposes additional safeguards against foundation trust failure, for a transitional period, in the form of additional powers for Monitor to intervene and direct foundation trusts at risk of failing and, where necessary, to remove members of the Board.

General Practitioners

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to put in place any  (a) criteria and  (b) limits on performance-related payments to GP consortia.

Simon Burns: The Government have proposed that general practitioner consortia that achieve high quality outcomes for patients within the resources available to them should receive a quality premium. The NHS Commissioning Board will be responsible for developing a commissioning outcomes framework that will enable the Board to hold consortia to account for the quality of services they commission and promote continuous improvement in health care outcomes. This framework will also ensure that there are clear criteria for awarding the quality premium.
	We are committed to ensuring that these arrangements create the right incentives for consortia to achieve high-quality outcomes for patients and that there are appropriate limits on payments.

Hospitals

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hospital projects exceeding £50 million  (a) started and  (b) were completed in each year since 1997.

Simon Burns: The hospital building projects with a capital value exceeding £50 million which started and were completed in each year since 1997 are shown in the following tables:
	
		
			  Private finance initiative (PFI) schemes by financial close and operational (defined as first patient day) date 
			  Scheme  Financial close  Operational date  Capital v alue   (£ million) 
			 North Cumbria Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 3 November 1997 10 April 2000 67 
			 Dartford and Gravesham Hospital NHS Trust 30 July 1997 11 September 2000 94 
			 South London NHS Trust (Queen Elizabeth) 1 July 1998 28 February 2001 96 
			 County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust (Dryburn) 31 March 1998 2 April 2001 61 
			 Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust 31 July 1998 8 April 2001 65 
			 University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust 8 June 1998 25 July2001 67 
			 Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 9 January 1998 21 September 2001 158 
			 Hereford Hospitals NHS Trust 31 March 1999 1 March 2002 64 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 1 February 1999 2 March 2002 54 
			 Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 18 March 1999 18 March 2002 87 
			 King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 6 December 1999 7 October 2002 76 
			 Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Swindon and Marlborough) 5 October 1999 3 December 2002 100 
			 South London NHS Trust (Bromley) 19 November 1998 29 March 2003 118 
			 West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 30 January 2001 16 May 2003 60 
			 Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust 27 April 2001 12 July 2003 55 
			 South Tees Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 16 August 1999 1 August 2003 122 
			 The Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 1 May 2001 1 April 2005 137 
			 University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 12 July 2000 12 June 2005 422 
			 Wandsworth Teaching PCT 6 May 2004 10 March 2006 75 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 6 November 2003 19 March 2006 69 
			 Avon and Western Wiltshire MH NHS Trust 1 March 2004 13 June 2006 83 
			 Newham University Hospital NHS Trust 27 January 2004 8 July 2006 55 
			 East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (Blackburn) 9 July 2003 8 July 2006 110 
			 University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust 27 November. 2002 10 July 2006 379 
			 Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust 8 July 2004 27 November 2006 72 
			 Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust 15 January 2004 6 December 2006 238 
			 Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust 19 December 2003 13 January 2007 134 
			 Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 27 October 2004 18 May 2007 76 
			 Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust 15 October 2004 15 December 2007 265 
			 Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust 21 February 2006 23 August 2008 67 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 27 April 2005 22 September 2008 299 
			 St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust 1 June 2006 22 October 2008 338 
			 Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust 13 December 2005 19 March 2009 129 
			 Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 29 October 2005 7 April 2009 326 
			 Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 12 September 2003 20 May 2009 312 
			 Portsmouth Hospitals NHS trust 12 December 2005 15 June 2009 236 
			 Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 14 December 2004 8 July 2009 512 
			 Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust 12 December 2007 10 May 2010 75 
			 Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust 3 November 2007 24 May 2010 169 
			 North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 27 July 2007 1 June 2010 144 
			 Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust 22 June 2007 7 June 2010 353 
			 University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust/Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust 8 June 2006 16 June 2010 627 
			 Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 29 June 2007 15 November 2010 336 
			 Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust 6 December 2007 20 November 2010 148 
			 Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 13 September 2007 22 November 2010 109 
			 Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust 26 March 2008 26 January 2011 304 
			 North Bristol NHS Trust 25 February 2010 Quarter 1 2014 430 
			 Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 5 September 2007 Quarter 4 2011 190 
			 University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust 13 June 2007 Quarter 4 2012 375 
			 Barts and the London NHS Trust 27 April 2006 Quarter 4 2013 1,000 
		
	
	
		
			  Public capital funded schemes by tender award and operational (defined as first patient day) date 
			  Scheme  Tender award  Operational date  Capital v alue   (£ million) 
			 Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust 1 July 1997 27 July 2002 84 
			 Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust 1 October 2003 1 September 2004 57 
			 Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust 19 September 1998 31 October2005 50 
			 Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust 1 February 2004 31 July 2006 53 
			 Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 31 January 2005 1 July 2007 59 
			 Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust 1 August 2006 6 February 2009 51 
			 University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust 1 December 2006 26 March 2009 55 
			 University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust/North Bristol NHS Trust 16 October 2006 12 May 2009 64 
			 Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust 9 October 2006 Quarter 3 2011 75

Hospitals: Abuse

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on measures to prevent the mistreatment of elderly patients in hospital.

Paul Burstow: The coalition Government are determined to make the national health service more patient-centred and more responsive to the people it serves. We are focusing on achieving outcomes that are among the best in the world and putting patient safety at the heart of everything the NHS does. That is why the Health and Social Care Bill will create local HealthWatch organisations to give patients more power to ensure their feedback and complaints are heard and to hold their local services to account. We will be publishing a White Paper on Adult Social Care which will also focus on quality outcomes and delivering care with dignity, respect and compassion.
	In addition, following the recent ombudsman's report "Care and Compassion" the Department has commissioned, a series of unannounced inspections by the Care Quality Commission and on 15 February, the NHS chief executive, David Nicholson and the national clinical director for older people, David Oliver wrote to all NHS boards urging action in response to the report. Similarly, the chief nursing officer also raised the report findings at her February meeting with strategic health authority directors of nursing.

Hospitals: Crimes of Violence

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the policy of the NHS is on steps to protect staff from abusive patients.

Simon Burns: Each national health service body has a duty to address the risks to staff and ensure their safety. NHS Protect can assist employers through guidance on assessing risks and acting to protect staff.

Hospitals: Crimes of Violence

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many incidents of violence towards NHS staff were recorded in the last six months.

Simon Burns: The number of physical assaults against staff reported by national health service bodies in England is collected annually.
	Information on the number of reported physical assaults against NHS staff in 2009-10 is contained in the document 'Tables showing number of reported physical assaults on NHS staff in 2009-10, broken down by NHS trust/PCT', which has been placed in the Library.

Leprosy

George Hollingbery: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when his Department last reviewed the appropriateness of leprosy as a notifiable disease under the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984;
	(2)  if he will discuss with the Scottish Executive the different health effects of the approaches taken in Great Britain to notification of leprosy;
	(3)  whether he has any plans to review the position of leprosy as a notifiable disease.

Anne Milton: The Department has no plans to review appropriateness of leprosy as a notifiable disease under the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984.
	A review was carried out in 2010 as part of work on development of the Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010, laid before Parliament on 11 March 2010, following public consultation.
	The Department has no particular plans to discuss with the Scottish Executive the health effects of the different approaches taken in Great Britain to notification of leprosy.

Midwives

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many births per full-time equivalent NHS midwife there were in (a) England and  (b) each region in 2010.

Anne Milton: Information on the number of births in 2010 is not yet available. The following table gives the ratio of births to midwives in 2009.
	
		
			  Strategic health authorities  Live births: Midwife (full-time equivalents) ratio 
			 North East 28.0 
			 North West 28.7 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 32.2 
			 East Midlands 38.1 
			 West Midlands 31.8 
			 East of England 39.0 
			 London 34.2 
			 South East Coast 34.0 
			 South Central 39.0 
			 South West 30.0 
			 England 33.2 
			  Source: Birth Statistics 2009, Office for National Statistics; NHS Workforce Census 2009, NHS Information Centre

NHS: Private Sector

Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the future role of private healthcare providers in the NHS following implementation of his proposed structural reforms.

Simon Burns: The Government are committed to increasing the choice and control that patients have over their care and treatment. Our policy is that any qualified provider, including those from the private sector, that meets national health service standards and prices should be able to provide services to patients.

NHS: Surveys

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what public opinion surveys are commissioned by  (a) his Department and  (b) the NHS Information Centre; and if he will ensure the continuation of these surveys.

Simon Burns: A list of public opinion surveys which are commissioned by the Department could be provided only at disproportionate time and cost, as the Department does not hold this information centrally.
	The NHS Information Centre commissions and funds the following surveys with the public:
	The Health Survey for England (HSE); and
	Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use Among Young People in England.
	No decision about continuation of these surveys has been taken.
	The NHS Information Centre also commissions the following surveys on behalf of other organisations. The costs of these surveys are met by the sponsoring organisations.
	Adult Dental Health Survey 2009;
	Adult Psychiatric Morbidity in England, 2007: results of a household survey;
	Autism Spectrum Disorders in adults living in households throughout England;
	Estimating the Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Conditions in Adults: extending the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2007 in England;
	Attitudes to Mental Illness Survey 2011;
	Survey of Carers in Households 2009-10 England; and
	Infant Feeding Survey 2005 + 2010.

Nurseries: Schools

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely effect on the provision of school nursery services of the proposals in the Health and Social Care Bill.

Anne Milton: We are working on the development of the vision for school nursing to further strengthen the understanding of the contribution of school nurses to the public health agenda.
	No assessment has been made centrally. It is for local commissioning organisations to decide how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health and to commission services accordingly. This process provides the means for assessing local needs including the health needs of children and young people and thus the commissioning of appropriate services including school nursing services.
	'Healthy Lives, Healthy People: Our strategy for public health in England' describes moving to a system where school nursing teams are leaders in local services for children and young people in a structure that improves public health and protects against big public health threats. The paper reinforces the importance of school nursing as part of the public health work force securing the best health outcomes for children and young people including delivery of the 'Healthy Child Programme'.

Nurses: Working Hours

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will undertake an impact assessment in respect of proposals to discontinue night sisters in NHS hospitals.

Anne Milton: There are no central proposals to discontinue the role of night sisters in national health service hospitals. It is for local NHS organisations, who are responsible for the number and skill mix of their work force, to satisfy requirements on consulting local partners and communities and to undertake the relevant assessment of impact and equality analysis.

Palliative Care: Finance

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will maintain funding for hospital chaplaincy as part of his Palliative Care Funding Review.

Paul Burstow: The Palliative Care Funding Review, which is independent of Government, is taking forward work to review payment systems to support palliative care, including exploring options for per-patient funding.
	In the second phase of its work, the review has asked for views on which core components of dedicated palliative care, including spiritual care, should be funded, wholly or partly, by the national health service as a statutory responsibility and which by society. This consultation ended on 30 March.
	Ministers will consider the recommendations of the review when they receive its final report, which is expected this summer.

Prostate Cancer

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he  (a) is taking and  (b) plans to take to promote Prostate Cancer Awareness Month; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps the NHS is taking to improve men's awareness of prostate cancer; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: Prostate cancer awareness month is organised and promoted by the Prostate Cancer Charity. The Department works closely with the charity through the Prostate Cancer Advisory Group (PCAG).
	"Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer" published on 12 January, recognised that more could be done to raise awareness of prostate cancer. A copy has already been placed in the Library. We will be working with PCAG to see how we can raise awareness of prostate cancer by increasing access to the Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme (PCRMP). Through the PCRMP, men with no symptoms of the disease receive information about prostate cancer, and advice about the pros and cons of having a prostate cancer specific antigen test.

Regulation

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which regulations have been identified for  (a) adoption and  (b) revocation by his Department under the Government's one-in, one-out policy between May 2010 and May 2015.

Simon Burns: The coalition Government policy of one-in one-out was introduced from 1 October 2010 and seeks to identify all regulations that have a direct impact on private sector and civil society organisations and assess the impact in cost and benefit terms.
	The following regulations have been identified for adoption and revocation by the Department under the Government's one-in, one-out policy between October 2010 and May 2015. The Department will continue as part of the flow of regulation, to identify additional outs, for the one-in, one-out regulatory management system.
	
		
			  Adoption 
			  Title of Measure  In  In force date 
			 Health Act 2009 Extending Local Government Ombudsman remit to self-funded adult social care providers In October 2010 
			 Care Quality Commission new system of regulating the sector through registration In October 2010 
			 The Medical Profession (Responsible Officers) Regulations 2010 In January 2011 
			 The Health Service Branded Medicines (Control of Prices and Supply of Information) Amendment Regulations 2010 In January 2011 
			 Regulation of Sunbeds 2010 In April 2011 
			 Amendments to the Primary Medical Services (Electronic Prescription Service Authorisation) Directions 2008 In April 2011 
			 IR(ME)R Amendment Regulations 2011 In April 2011 
			 Prohibition on the sale of tobacco from vending machines In October 2011 
			 Prohibition of the display of tobacco at point of sale In April 2012/April 2015 
		
	
	
		
			  Revocation 
			  Title of Measure  Out  In force date 
			 Care Standards Act 2001 and associated National Minimum Standards Out October 2010 
			 Private and Voluntary Healthcare (England) Regulations 2001 Out October 2010

Ritalin: Children

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many children in households receiving working-age benefits have been prescribed Ritalin in each year from 1997 to 2010;
	(2)  how many children were prescribed Ritalin to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in each year from 1997 to 2010.

Anne Milton: The Information Centre Prescribing Team has advised that this information is not available for children's prescriptions. They have however provided information on the numbers of all Ritalin prescriptions dispensed in the community as follows:
	Ritalin is a branded version of the drug Methylphenidate Hydrochloride. The following table shows the total number of items dispensed for Methylphenidate Hydrochloride overall (including Ritalin) and for Ritalin separately for individuals of all ages.
	
		
			  Methylphenidate Hydrochloride prescriptions dispensed in the community in England 
			  Thousand 
			   Prescription  i tems 
			   Methylphenidate Hydrochloride  O f which :  Ritalin 
			 1997 92.1 92.1 
			 1998 126.6 126.6 
			 1999 158.0 157.9 
			 2000 186.2 181.3 
			 2001 208.5 180.6 
			 2002 254.0 161.8 
			 2003 314.5 124.5 
			 2004 359.1 67.8 
			 2005 389.2 30.7 
			 2006 456.9 26.5 
			 2007 535.3 25.5 
			 2008 573.4 22.8 
			 2009 610.2 20.2 
			  Notes:  1.  Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) Data  Prescription information is taken from the PCA system, supplied by the Prescription Services Division of the NHS Business Services Authority, and is based on a full analysis of all prescriptions dispensed in the community i.e. by community pharmacists and appliance contractors, dispensing doctors, and prescriptions submitted by prescribing doctors for items personally administered in England. Also included are prescriptions written in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man but dispensed in England. The data do not cover drugs dispensed in hospitals, including mental health trusts, or private prescriptions.  2. Prescribers are general practitioners, hospital doctors, dentists and non-medical prescribers such as nurses and pharmacists.  3.  Prescription Items  Prescriptions are written on a prescription form. Each single item written on the form is counted as a prescription item.  4.  British National Formulary Classifications  The PCA system uses the therapeutic classifications defined in the BNF. No information on why a drug is prescribed is available and since drugs can be prescribed to treat more than one condition it is impossible to separate the different conditions that a drug was prescribed for.  Source:  Prescription Cost Analysis

Social Services

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for improvement of the social care system.

Paul Burstow: "A Vision for Adult Social Care: Capable Communities and Active Citizens" published on 16 November 2010, set the context for the future direction of adult social care in England. A copy has already been placed in the Library.
	It said that services should be more personalised, with personal budgets, preferably as a direct payment, provided to all eligible people, by April 2003. Services should be more focused on prevention, delivering the best outcomes for people.
	We know that urgent reform of the social care funding system is needed to provide much more control to individuals and their carers, and to reduce the insecurity that they and their families face.
	That is why we have established an independent commission to make recommendations on how to achieve an affordable and sustainable funding system for adult social care in England.
	The Commission on the Funding of Care and Support is due to report in July. More information about the commission's work can be found online at:
	www.dilnotcommission.dh.gov.uk
	It is our intention to bring together the conclusions of the Law Commission and the Commission on the Funding of Care and Support into a White Paper by the end of the year, with subsequent legislation establishing a sustainable legal and financial framework for care and support.

Strokes: Health Services

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the introduction of GP-led commissioning on waiting times to access post-stroke therapy services.

Simon Burns: The move to general practitioner-led commissioning will improve the fit between service provision and patients' needs. This should be reflected in a better balance in the provision of acute and post-acute care.

Strokes: Health Services

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the introduction of GP-led commissioning on the development of stroke care networks.

Simon Burns: The stroke clinical networks and the central team that supports them continue to be funded in 2011-12. During 2011-12 consideration is being given to where the functions undertaken by these networks will best fit into the new arrangements.

Visual Impairment

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to achieve the World Health Organisation standard of eliminating avoidable blindness by 2020.

Simon Burns: In the United Kingdom, we support the aim of eliminating avoidable sight loss by 2020.
	Effective screening is already in place for diabetic retinopathy. Between December 2009 and December 2010, 98.1% of people with diabetes were offered screening for diabetic retinopathy.
	The national health service has invested significant resources in improving cataract services.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published technology appraisal guidance on the use of Lucentis for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration and has recommended its use as a clinically and cost-effective use of NHS resources for patients meeting specific clinical criteria. Primary care trusts are legally required to make funding available for Lucentis in line with NICE's guidance.
	Free sight tests are available to people aged 60 and over and other disadvantaged groups. The uptake of NHS sight tests is steadily rising.
	We are looking to improve clinical outcomes further through changes being proposed by the Health and Social Care Bill currently before Parliament.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Arts: Research

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his Department's strategic research priorities are in respect of the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

David Willetts: The Department does not have any strategic research priorities in respect of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). The AHRC's delivery plan, published in December 2010, was agreed in discussion with the Department. This sets out their strategic research priority areas. A copy of the delivery plan is available on the AHRC website at:
	http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/About/Policy/Documents/DeliveryPlan2011.pdf

Arts: Research

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills in respect of which Arts and Humanities Research Council projects his Department has allocated funding since May 2010.

David Willetts: The Department provides funding to the research councils. It is for the research councils, rather than Government, to allocate funds to individual projects.

Employment Agencies: EU Law

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will review the implementation of the Agency Worker Regulations and their effect on labour market flexibility one year after they enter into force.

Edward Davey: A review of the Agency Workers Directive will be carried out by the European Commission, in consultation with member states and social partners at Community level, by 5 December 2013. In addition this Department will be regularly monitoring the impact of the Agency Workers Regulations in the UK and will have conducted a Post-Implementation Review by December 2013. The main source of information for the formal evaluation and ongoing monitoring is likely to be the Labour Force Survey/Annual Population Survey but other surveys and research may also be relevant carried out by government or other bodies.

European Regional Development Fund: Local Enterprise Partnerships

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what role local enterprise partnerships will play in applications for funding from the European Regional Development Fund.

Bob Neill: I have been asked to reply.
	All ERDF programmes are overseen by programme monitoring committees. These committees provide strategic leadership and management for ERDF programmes, and the detailed approval of projects is typically undertaken by a range of appointed sub-committees.
	Programme monitoring committees will transition to local management committees from 1 July 2011, to ensure that ERDF governance arrangements reflect the coalition Government's Localism agenda. There will be representation from local enterprise partnerships on local management committees.

Heat Pumps

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will ask the United Kingdom Accreditation Service to accredit the leakage rates of fluorocarbons from heat pumps supplied by the heat pump industry.

David Willetts: I am sure that the United Kingdom Accreditation Service would be happy to consider accrediting a laboratory, inspection body or certification body if one came forward to apply for accreditation in respect of the conformity assessment of heat pumps.

Higher Education

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will bring forward proposals to amend the rules governing the validation of higher education qualifications in order to allow more organisations to validate such qualifications; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: Higher education institutions with degree awarding powers (DAPs) are responsible for awarding their own degrees and other higher education qualifications, and can validate qualifications delivered by other providers without DAPs. As I have made clear in recent public speeches, the Government are committed to opening up the market for the delivery of higher education to new and alternative providers. For example, we have said that we will allow non-teaching bodies to offer external degrees. We will set out our proposals in more detail in the forthcoming Higher Education White Paper.

Higher Education

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to increase the proportion of higher education courses delivered in further education colleges.

David Willetts: The Government see an important role for further education colleges delivering higher education courses in a reformed HE system. The Government's funding reforms, including the extension of loans to part-time students and enabling student choice to drive higher education funding, should benefit further education colleges which can offer an attractive proposition to prospective students.
	The forthcoming Higher Education White Paper will set out reforms to help higher education become more dynamic and responsive to demand. This includes making it easier for a more diverse range of providers, including further education colleges, to compete and allowing non-teaching bodies to apply to offer external degrees, giving further education colleges more choice in their provision of degree courses.

Higher Education: Admissions

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the proportion of students graduating from (i) Oxford and (ii) Cambridge University who attended (A) independent, (B) state, (C) grammar and (D) comprehensive schools and obtained first class honours degrees in the last 20 years.

David Willetts: The Department has not commissioned any analysis of its own on the proportion of graduates from Oxford and Cambridge by school type achieving first class degrees.
	I am aware of research published in the  British Educational Research Journal, 35.5, (pp781-807 2009) by Tom Ogg, Anna Zimdars and Anthony Heath on the effects of Schooling on degree performance: a comparison of the predictive validity of aptitude testing and secondary school grades at Oxford university. This article examined the cause of school type effects upon gaining a first class degree at Oxford university whereby for a given level of secondary school performance, private school students perform less well at degree level.
	Figures on the school background of high achieving students at Oxford and Cambridge universities can be secured from the HESA Information Service
	www.hesa.ac.uk

Higher Education: Admissions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of undergraduate places that will be available at universities in  (a) 2011-12 and  (b) 2012-13; what recent discussions he has had with universities about university places; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: We expect student numbers in England to remain broadly constant over the spending review period.
	I have regular discussions with higher education institutions and their representative bodies about developments in Government policy in their area including on student numbers. We will bring forward proposals for a more flexible and responsive way of controlling student numbers in the forthcoming Higher Education White Paper.

Higher Education: Admissions

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what responsibilities the Director of Fair Access has to assess a higher education institution's access agreement with reference to specific courses deemed most likely to encourage social mobility.

David Willetts: Our guidance to the Director of Fair Access, published on 10February, said that:
	"... evidence has shown that certain courses, particularly those that lead to professional careers, tend to offer the greatest financial benefit to students. Securing fair access to these courses is an important component of promoting greater social mobility. We hope that institutions will make particular reference to these courses in their Access Agreements, and may wish to target their outreach and other activities, such as foundation years, to where they can have greatest impact on access and social mobility."
	Legislation requires the Director to "have regard to" the guidance issued to him by the Secretary of State. Assessment of access agreements is a matter for the Director of Fair Access and he has issued his own guidance to institutions consistent with that from Government.

Higher Education: Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make representations to higher education authorities about invitations to speakers with a history of promoting anti-Semitism to speak on campuses; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: Decisions about external speakers must rest with universities themselves. In this area universities are bound by the law both in protecting freedom of speech on campus, even if that free expression is controversial, and protecting students and staff against harassment or violence. The Government would expect institutions to tackle these issues vigorously when they arise and they have access to guidance from both Government and the sector itself on promoting good campus relations, which draw out the considerations institutions need to give to free expression on campus and to addressing illegal behaviour. Institutions also take advice about external speakers from their local police forces when needed. The Department is active in the wider Government review of the Prevent Strategy which is considering approaches to tackling extremism and supporting integration in universities and elsewhere.
	There is no place for racism of any form, such as anti-Semitism, in higher education. Universities have the primary responsibility for ensuring that their students are not subject to threatening or abusive behaviour on campus and have access to a strong legislative framework and guidance to help them deal effectively with instances of intolerance, racism and harassment in their institutions.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of England was covered by a local enterprise partnership on the most recent date for which figures are available; and what steps he is taking to support such partnerships in increasing economic growth and job creation in their areas.

Mark Prisk: To date 32 partnerships have been approved. These represent:
	1.8 million or 90% of all businesses (active enterprises) in England
	21 million employees (employee jobs figures) or 91 % of all employees in England and;
	A population of 47 million or 90% of England's population.
	The Government will work with local enterprise partnerships to ensure that activities which are nationally led are dovetailed as closely as possible with locally-led delivery. These include policies for promoting trade and securing inward investment; investing in research and development and innovation; nurturing high growth sectors; ensuring business improvement for businesses with high growth potential; and increasing access to venture capital.

Manufacturing Industries

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps he has taken to support British manufacturing industry; what recent discussions  (a) he,  (b) Ministers in his Department and  (c) officials in his Department have had with the Confederation of British Industry on this matter; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The Government are supporting manufacturing by creating the economic stability that will give businesses the confidence they need to plan and invest. We are doing this by creating a more supportive tax environment, cutting through red tape and unnecessary regulation, increasing access to finance, and focusing on training and apprenticeships. Manufacturers will also benefit from a package of measures announced as part of Budget 2011 to promote growth in manufacturing, such as changes to capital allowances, helping firms to commercialise technology, developing new degree-equivalent higher level apprenticeships, and increased funding for the Green Investment Bank.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Ministers and officials have regular meetings with the Confederation of British Industry including bilaterals and roundtables at which numerous issues are discussed, including manufacturing.

Members: Correspondence

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Thurrock of 8 December 2010 on strengthening the integrity of drug and alcohol testing in the workplace.

Mark Prisk: I replied to the letter from my hon. Friend 2 March 2011.

Mercosur: EU Action

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will discuss with  (a) the European Commission,  (b) Members of the European Parliament and  (c) his EU counterparts the environmental and social effects of the proposed EU free trade agreement with Mercosur.

Edward Davey: The UK supports the inclusion of sustainable development chapters, covering environmental and social issues, in all free trade agreements. Negotiations with Mercosur on sustainable development have not begun. Once they do, the UK will discuss environmental and social issues with the European Commission, EU counterparts and Members of the European Parliament.

Mercosur: EU Action

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has made an assessment of the likely effects of implementation of the EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement on future levels of illegal logging in the Amazon.

Edward Davey: The European Commission's sustainability impact assessment, available at:
	http://ec.europa.eu/trade/analysis/sustainability-impact-assessments/assessments/#study-10
	assesses that the free trade agreement (FTA) will have a limited effect on the trade of timber and timber products between Mercosur and the EU, but also notes that illegal logging could increase if not accompanied by appropriate measures. For this reason, the UK will encourage the European Commission to use the FTA to strengthen co-operation with Mercosur on forest law enforcement and governance.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has made at EU level on the need for a European Code of Conduct to be adopted by  (a) car manufacturers and  (b) franchised dealers under the Block Exemption Regulation; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: I have made no representations at European level on this issue.

Overseas Students: Loans

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many children of Turkish workers who have received help with tuition fees since 2006 have not made scheduled repayments in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many students from other EU member states have received living cost support from the Student Loans Company in each of the last five years;
	(3)  pursuant to the answer of 9 March,  Official Report, column 1180W, on overseas students: loans, how many Swiss national students did not make a scheduled student loan repayment in each of the last five years;
	(4)  how much the Student Loans Company is owed in arrears by students from  (a) EEA countries,  (b) Switzerland and  (c) Turkey;
	(5)  how much is owed by former students from EEA countries to the Student Loans Company  (a) in total and  (b) arising from repayments due but not made in each year since 2007.

David Willetts: Information about awards of tuition fee and maintenance loans and about repayments which separately identifies children of Turkish workers, Swiss national students or students from the European economic area (EEA) is not readily available in the format requested.
	Generally, living cost support is not available to those students coming from the European Union to study in England. An exception is made for individuals who are exercising their rights under EC law to work in the UK, specified family members of those individuals, EC nationals who have lived in the UK and islands for three years prior to the start of the course, children of Swiss nationals and children of Turkish workers in the UK. Individuals must satisfy certain residency criteria before being considered eligible for the package of maintenance support.

Overseas Students: Loans

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 9 March 2011,  Official Report, column 1180W, on overseas students: loans, what procedures are in place to recoup the outstanding debt of those former students from European Economic Area countries who are in arrears.

David Willetts: Student loans in England are only available to those who meet the relevant residence requirements. The Student Loans Company (SLC) applies the same procedures to all borrowers who move overseas after leaving their course.
	When borrowers move abroad, whether temporarily or because they live in another country, they must give the SLC information about their location and earnings. The SLC will determine whether the borrower should be making repayments and, if so, gives them a monthly repayment schedule under the terms of the contract of the loan. The SLC will convert their income into pounds sterling and will tell the borrower the amount they will need to pay each month.
	Where borrowers move overseas and do not notify the SLC, they may be charged penalties which will be added to the outstanding loan amount. They may also have to pay the costs of any trace agents employed by the SLC. In some circumstances, they may have to repay the full outstanding amount in a single payment.
	Effective collection of student loans across the EU is underpinned by EC regulation 44/2001, which allows the SLC to obtain judgements in UK courts which can be enforced by courts in other EU countries. Borrowers who choose to disregard their obligation will be pursued by the SLC and, where appropriate, court orders will be sought.

Regional Development Agencies: Assets

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions  (a) he and  (b) his officials have had with the chief executive of each regional development agency (RDA) on their proposals for the disposal of assets held by each such RDA.

Mark Prisk: The Department is working closely with the RDAs. Officials have regular contact with chief executives, and their staff, to discuss issues including their proposals for the disposal of assets. RDAs are also represented on the assets and liabilities working group that has been established to consider general policy issues arising from asset disposal and which developed the principles to guide the disposal of assets:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/economic-development/docs/s/11-727-statement-rda-assets-and-liabilities.pdf

Regional Development Agencies: Assets

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what meetings  (a) he and  (b) his officials have had with (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in the (A) the Department for Communities and Local Government and (B) HM Treasury on the options for the disposal of the assets owned by the regional development agencies; and on what dates such meetings took place.

Mark Prisk: The Department is working closely with Department for Communities and Local Government and HM Treasury. Officials have regular contact with these Departments to discuss issues including RDA proposals for the disposal of assets.
	HM Treasury and the Department for Communities and Local Government are also represented on the assets and liabilities working group that has been established to consider general policy issues arising from asset disposal.

Research: Finance

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department plans to take to clarify the Haldane principle in relation to academic research.

David Willetts: A clarification of the Haldane principle was published alongside the science and research funding allocations on 20 December 2010, available at:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101220/wmstext/101220m0001.htm
	This came after consultation with senior figures in the science and research community.

Small Businesses: Recruitment

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage small businesses to employ staff.

Mark Prisk: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Southend West (Mr Amess) on 31 March 2011,  Official Report, column 482W.

Students: Loans

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect on the number of women studying part-time of his decision that the liability to repay student loans commences prior to the completion of the course;
	(2)  for what reasons he has determined that part-time students should be liable to begin repaying their student loans before they have completed their course.

David Willetts: Part-time students will become liable to repay from the April following the third anniversary of the start date of their course. This date has been chosen as it is consistent with the repayment date that will typically apply to former full-time students. At that point the interest that will accrue on the loan will be dependent on income of the borrower, rather than being set at the retail price index (RPI) + 3%; those earning less than £21,000 will then accrue interest at the rate of RPI. But no one is expected to repay until they earn more than £21,000.
	This balances the needs of the student with those of the taxpayer, as it secures repayments from part-time students who earn more than £21,000 at the earliest reasonable opportunity while also affording protection to low-earning graduates.
	Because the earnings threshold at which repayments start will be raised to £21,000, low earners, including many part-time workers, will be more likely to fall below this higher threshold. The new system will particularly benefit those who take time out to have a family and the lowest earners, both men and women, will pay less under the new system, than they would currently.

EDUCATION

Academies

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the likely cost to the public purse of implementing the presumption that all new schools will open as academies.

Nick Gibb: There will be no overall additional cost to the public purse. Where local authorities have identified the need for a new school they must provide the site and any associated capital.

Children in Care

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average length of placement for looked after children was in each local authority area in each of the last three years.

Tim Loughton: The information requested, is shown in the following table.
	The average has been calculated as the mean length of each placement for those children who were looked after at some point during the year. Where a placement started before the beginning of the year, the complete length of that placement has been counted. Where a placement started during the year and continued beyond the end of the year, the length of the placement has only been calculated to the 31 March of that year.
	
		
			  Average length of placements for children looked after during the year ending 31 March, by local authority( 1) . Years ending 31 March 2008 to 2010. Coverage: England 
			  Days 
			   2008  2009  2010 
			  England 510 512 506 
			 
			  North East 494 482 464 
			 Darlington 449 468 447 
			 Durham 416 359 335 
			 Gateshead 539 549 502 
			 Hartlepool 370 382 412 
			 Middlesbrough 477 439 455 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 575 527 514 
			 North Tyneside 428 425 401 
			 Northumberland 527 643 673 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 465 489 395 
			 South Tyneside 496 472 450 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 413 425 406 
			 Sunderland 630 612 625 
			 
			  North West 569 573 562 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 560 616 581 
			 Blackpool 458 420 411 
			 Bolton 433 410 379 
			 Bury 599 570 524 
			 Cheshire(2) 481 469 - 
			 Cheshire East(2) - - 433 
			 Cheshire West and Chester(2) - - 440 
			 Cumbria 594 636 564 
			 Halton 619 683 766 
			 Knowsley 529 620 622 
			 Lancashire 553 569 571 
			 Liverpool 722 624 614 
			 Manchester 590 628 619 
			 Oldham 535 571 583 
			 Rochdale 479 505 523 
			 Salford 685 775 676 
			 Sefton 517 508 470 
			 St Helens 597 605 642 
			 Stockport 582 627 601 
			 Tameside 562 558 606 
			 Trafford 462 521 607 
			 Warrington 515 465 448 
			 Wigan 566 524 558 
			 Wirral 627 627 677 
			 
			  Yorkshire and the Humber 531 556 567 
			 Barnsley 655 576 671 
			 Bradford 600 652 728 
			 Calderdale 468 457 615 
			 Doncaster 409 385 400 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 520 568 516 
			 Kingston upon Hull, City of 482 530 501 
			 Kirklees 442 464 479 
			 Leeds 661 680 641 
			 North East Lincolnshire 422 518 518 
			 North Lincolnshire 497 491 454 
			 North Yorkshire 597 659 640 
			 Rotherham 324 412 459 
			 Sheffield 490 534 527 
			 Wakefield 688 637 621 
			 York 397 390 450 
			 
			  East Midlands 488 493 479 
			 Derby 589 580 575 
			 Derbyshire 456 476 467 
			 Leicester 580 548 491 
			 Leicestershire 433 425 430 
			 Lincolnshire 540 597 595 
			 Northamptonshire 394 359 391 
			 Nottingham 463 503 462 
			 Nottinghamshire 509 524 485 
			 Rutland 356 466 334 
			 
			  West Midlands 510 515 511 
			 Birmingham 528 527 542 
			 Coventry 514 491 524 
			 Dudley 544 588 571 
			 Herefordshire 692 650 674 
			 Sandwell 611 637 625 
			 Shropshire 379 415 421 
			 Solihull 414 357 382 
			 Staffordshire 460 460 446 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 417 464 431 
			 Telford and Wrekin 474 512 492 
			 Walsall 592 627 636 
			 Warwickshire 442 456 457 
			 Wolverhampton 557 589 487 
			 Worcestershire 543 507 481 
			 
			  East of England 547 555 553 
			 Bedfordshire(2) 766 661 - 
			 Bedford Borough(2) - - 582 
			 Central Bedfordshire(2) - - 595 
			 Cambridgeshire 510 500 548 
			 Essex 481 529 553 
			 Hertfordshire 619 552 486 
			 Luton 547 566 653 
			 Norfolk 567 575 583 
			 Peterborough 554 614 636 
			 Southend-on-Sea 547 624 612 
			 Suffolk 527 531 535 
			 Thurrock 447 521 473 
			 
			  London 473 469 466 
			 
			  Inner London 510 504 493 
			 Camden 534 519 539 
			 City Of London 489 484 467 
			 Hackney 631 635 758 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 582 572 542 
			 Haringey 456 442 419 
			 Islington 560 599 594 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 393 387 352 
			 Lambeth 486 518 507 
			 Lewisham 502 467 438 
			 Newham 513 487 483 
			 Southwark 550 534 499 
			 Tower Hamlets 416 420 415 
			 Wandsworth 531 526 554 
			 Westminster 461 489 479 
			 
			  Outer London 443 441 444 
			 Barking and Dagenham 397 302 357 
			 Barnet 614 575 577 
			 Bexley 436 448 474 
			 Brent 400 391 442 
			 Bromley 597 567 477 
			 Croydon 384 428 425 
			 Ealing 472 487 452 
			 Enfield 499 484 434 
			 Greenwich 430 465 424 
			 Harrow 476 389 395 
			 Havering 446 439 ¦ 428 
			 Hillingdon 431 471 551 
			 Hounslow 458 482 460 
			 Kingston upon Thames 433 381 415 
			 Merton 406 346 372 
			 Redbridge 337 347 395 
			 Richmond upon Thames 527 515 445 
			 Sutton 403 371 360 
			 Waltham Forest 498 490 488 
			 
			  South East 491 478 472 
			 Bracknell Forest 370 410 324 
			 Brighton and Hove 451 409 410 
			 Buckinghamshire 645 556 497 
			 East Sussex 652 638 622 
			 Hampshire 445 457 472 
			 Isle of Wight 535 570 574 
			 Kent 452 414 437 
			 Medway Towns 594 626 566 
			 Milton Keynes 405 432 364 
			 Oxfordshire 496 537 494 
			 Portsmouth 626 570 552 
			 Reading 442 485 460 
			 Slough 447 342 328 
			 Southampton 368 346 427 
			 Surrey 507 485 496 
			 West Berkshire 694 711 573 
			 West Sussex 520 526 480 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 453 381 317 
			 Wokingham 393 416 482 
			 
			  South West 467 462 457 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 501 581 551 
			 Bournemouth 488 493 520 
			 Bristol, City of 487 525 563 
			 Cornwall 397 327 333 
			 Devon 498 494 411 
			 Dorset 517 543 524 
			 Gloucestershire 606 459 535 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 
			 North Somerset 410 397 413 
			 Plymouth 465 512 440 
			 Poole 545 546 504 
			 Somerset 351 357 363 
			 South Gloucestershire 484 469 417 
			 Swindon 393 467 550 
			 Torbay 409 442 479 
			 Wiltshire 509 502 470 
			 (1) Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short-term placements. (2) In 2009, Cheshire local authority split into Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester. Similarly, Bedfordshire LA split into Bedford borough and Central Bedfordshire.  Source: SSDA 903

Children: Disability

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to his Department's announcement of 11 December 2010 on short breaks for disabled children, whether the funding proposed for short breaks for families with disabled children in England will have a consequential effect on the funding for services for families with disabled children living in Scotland.

Sarah Teather: Using the Barnett formula, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have received a population-based proportion of the education budget and are now able to decide what services they provide in terms of short breaks.

Children: Poverty

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions his Department has had with the End Child Poverty coalition on the proposed pupil premium.

Sarah Teather: I know of no discussions between my Department and the End Child Poverty coalition group specifically on the Pupil Premium.
	The coalition is made up of more than 150 organisations and 10 of these responded separately to our consultation on school funding for 2011-12, which set out proposals for the operation of the Pupil Premium. Consultation ended on 18 October and we announced our decisions on 13 December 2010. Details of the funding settlement can found at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanagement/schoolsrevenuefunding/settlement2012pupilpremium

Children's Commissioner

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what plans he has for the future of the Office of the Children's Commissioner for England;
	(2)  what the cost to the public purse of the Office of the Children's Commissioner for England was in each of the last three years.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 31 March 2011
	On 6 December 2010, the Government published the report of an independent review of the Office of the Children's Commissioner carried out by John Dunford. In the accompanying written ministerial statement, the Government accepted all of John Dunford's recommendations in principle, notably that a new Office of the Children's Commissioner for England should be established, with a role to promote and protect the rights of children in relation to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. A copy of John Dunford's report and the written ministerial statement can be found at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/inthenews/inthenews/a0069886/review-of-the-office-of-%20children's-commissioner-for-england
	The Government will consult on detailed proposals in relation to the review, prior to the introduction of draft legislation.
	The existing Office of the Children's Commissioner for England has claimed grant in aid (to the nearest £1,000) for each of the last three financial years as follows:
	2009/10: £2,670,000
	2008/09: £2,907,000
	2007/08: £2,663,000

Cookery: Curriculum

Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for the future teaching of cookery in schools.

Nick Gibb: On 20 January, the Secretary of State for Education announced that we are conducting a review of the National Curriculum at both primary and secondary levels. This review will include consideration of the status of design and technology (including cookery).

Departmental Contracts

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what contracts his Department and its associated public bodies signed with Lockheed Martin in each of the last 10 years; and for what purposes each such contract was let.

Tim Loughton: The Department's financial records show that the Department did not make any payments to Lockheed Martin over each of the last 10 years. The Department does not hold any contract information for this company on its central database.
	Similarly the public bodies associated with the Department have confirmed that their financial records show that they did not make any payments to Lockheed Martin over each of the last 10 years and do not hold any contract information with this company.

Departmental Flowers

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on flowers in 2009-10.

Tim Loughton: The Department spent £569.99 on flowers in 2009-10.

Departmental Interpreters

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for which services provided by  (a) his Department and  (b) its associated public bodies, interpreters provide services in a language or languages other than English; how many interpreters are employed or subcontracted for each non-English language; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of interpretation costs incurred in the latest period for which figures are available.

Tim Loughton: The information is as follows:
	 (a) During the financial year 2010-11 the Department has spent approximately £14,000 on translation services, through a single service provider with whom we have a framework contract. This information has been drawn from our finance system, using information on payments made to the supplier.
	To obtain full details behind each of these transactions could be achieved only at disproportionate cost, but information recorded onto the finance system shows translations into Welsh, and translations from Spanish, Russian and Turkish.
	 (b) To obtain the detailed information from our non-departmental public bodies could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Public Bodies

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the School Food Trust.

Sarah Teather: The Government's aim is not abolition of the School Food Trust, but rather that it will cease to be an NDPB while continuing as a company and charity. The Trust is exploring how it might best move to become a community interest company to run alongside the charity. The Department is committed to the Government's ambitions to reform public bodies, improve transparency and accountability, streamline services and reduce costs.

Departmental Telephone Services

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what criteria his Department uses to determine the allocation of funding to advice lines operated by his Department.

Tim Loughton: The decision to fund a service is dependent on whether a contact centre is the most appropriate response mechanism for our target audience (contact centres/help lines rarely just answer calls, but can receive e-mail, SMS, web form or paper responses) and meets the objectives for the work concerned. Therefore the decision to use a contact centre would be taken by policy and communications professionals based on the audience and desired objectives. Regardless of the model chosen, each service records appropriate data using a performance management framework (PMF) to ensure efficient use of funds (costs per call handled or other mechanism used, utility, outcomes etc.).
	For Government funded contact centres the costs involved are largely variable (for instance depending on the number of calls received) and are worked out based on the projected demand for a service. There is also some element of fixed cost. Likely demand is calculated by looking at existing levels of demand and adding a contingency for any additional demand likely to be generated by increased marketing activity. For new services where we have no historical data or where we need to estimate additional demand, predictions will be made based on activity levels for similar projects.
	Funding for these services will therefore vary by year based on demand levels and any efficiency savings gained. This ensures value for money.
	However for help lines outside of COI alternative costing models exist which may be based on a fixed price which can be independent of demand (and this can often lead to insufficient or too much capacity and an inflexibility) or through grants (if the service is provided by the 3(rd) sector-which can also lead to similar inflexibility). In-house services will most likely have a fixed budget but may well request more resource if a period of intense demand is expected.

Departmental Travel

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on international travel in the financial year 2009-10.

Tim Loughton: The total amount spent on international travel in financial year 2009-10 was £42,639. The provisional comparative figure for 2010-11 is £24,728.

Discretionary Learner Support Fund

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether an announcement will be made before 31 March 2011 on the amount of funding his Department expects to make available in the Learner Support fund for 16 to 19 year olds in 2011-12; what rules govern the operation of the fund; and whether college principals and school heads will have complete discretion as to how this fund is used.

Nick Gibb: On 28 March we announced a new £180 million bursary scheme which, from September 2011, will be targeted towards those young people who most need support to enable them to continue their education and training post-16, together with transitional arrangements to help some of those who are presently in receipt of EMA. We are currently consulting on our proposals.

Education

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children of each ethnicity achieved A* to C grades in English, mathematics, one language, two sciences and either history or geography in each year since 2008.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is shown in the following tables:
	
		
			  Achievements at GCSE for pupils( 1)  at the end of Key Stage 4 by ethnicity, years: 2007/08 to 2009/10 (amended)( 2) , coverage: England, maintained schools (including Academies and CTCs) 
			   Percentage of pupils achieving A* -C grades in: 
			   English( 3)  Mathematics  Language( 4) 
			   2007/08  2008/09  2009/10( 6)  2007/08  2008/09  2009/10( 6)  2007/08  2008/09  2009/10( 6) 
			 White 60.1 61.9 66.2 56.0 58.3 62.2 26.2 27.0 26.9 
			 White British 60.2 62.2 66.5 56.0 58.3 62.3 25.5 26.1 26.0 
			 Irish 67. 69.2 74.3 62.8 63. 69.3 33.8 31.6 35.6 
			 Traveller of Irish Heritage(7) 15.6 13.2 29.3 13.8 18.2 24.4 3.7 5.0 3.3 
			 Gypsy/Roma(7) 14.4 15.0 16.5 11.4 12.6 13.5 4.8 4.5 4.9 
			 Any Other White Background 55.5 56.0 60.4 56.5 59.0 61.2 48.5 50.5 48.7 
			 Mixed 61.2 64.2 68.0 53.9 58.2 61.9 28.7 29.8 30.6 
			 White and Black Caribbean 53.5 57.1 61.8 44.6 49.2 52.4 18.5 18.9 19.3 
			 White and Black African 61.5 63.7 68.8 53.4 58.1 62.7 30.6 31.7 33.0 
			 White and Asian 70.6 73.2 75.5 64.5 69.1 72.6 37.9 39.2 39.4 
			 Any Other Mixed Background 64.2 66.9 70.0 58.3 61.7 65.3 34.1 35.8 36.4 
			 Asian 60.4 62.5 67.5 60.5 62.6 66.7 35.4 35.6 34.8 
			 Indian 73.5 75.3 79.5 73.2 74.9 7B.3 44.0 45.5 44.6 
			 Pakistani 51.0 53.7 60.3 49.5 52.4 57.5 29.3 28.6 28.0 
			 Bangladeshi 55.9 59.3 64.6 54.8 57.1 63.0 27.7 28.3 26.0 
			 Any Other Asian Background 59.0 60.5 64.0 65.6 68.1 69.9 39.5 39.6 41.0 
			 Black 54.4 57.8 62.7 49.6 53.3 57.1 23.4 24.4 24.3 
			 Black Caribbean 52.7 54.7 59.9 43.9 47.5 50.7 16.0 16.7 17.3 
			 Black African 55.6 60.1 65.0 53.7 57.7 61.6 28.5 29.1 2B.2 
			 Any Other Black Background 53.9 55.7 59.9 47.7 49.8 53.5 22.6 24.8 26.1 
			 Chinese 72.3 74.6 77.4 87.2 867 90.9 65.1 67.1 68.5 
			 Any Other Ethnic Group 52.4 54.3 60.1 56.9 58.5 62.8 48.1 48.6 46.8 
			 Unclassified(8) 55.7 60.4 64.3 51.2 57.7 60.3 26.0 29.3 29.3 
			 All pupils 59.8 61.8 66.2 56.1 58.5 62.4 27.1 28.0 27.9 
		
	
	
		
			   Percentage of pupils achieving A* -C grades in: 
			   At least two sciences( 5)  Either History or Geography 
			   2007/08  2008/09  2009/10( 6)  2007/08  2008/09  2009/10( 6) 
			 White 46.0 46.4 47.7 32.0 32.1 32.6 
			 White British 46.1 46.5 47.9 32.0 32.2 32.7 
			 Irish 52. 51.9 56.5 42.1 41.7 45.9 
			 Traveller of Irish Heritage(7) 8.3 9.9 13.6 4.6 5.0 8.9 
			 Gypsy/Roma(7) 6.6 6.8 6.4 4.1 4.7 3.4 
			 Any Other White Background 42.7 42.6 43.3 30.4 29.5 29.4 
			 Mixed 43.8 45.5 46.5 28.3 2S.2 29.8 
			 White and Black Caribbean 35.4 36.8 36.0 20.1 21.5 21.1 
			 White and Black African 43.3 44.8 45.8 28.0 28.1 23.0 
			 White and Asian 53.9 56.5 56.7 38.2 40.3 39.4 
			 Any Other Mixed Background 47.6 48.9 50.7 31.8 31.5 33.7 
			 Asian 46.6 48.1 49.6 29.8 30.1 29.9 
			 Indian 60.3 61.5 64.4 40.0 41.2 40.5 
			 Pakistani 36.4 38.6 39.3 22.8 23.0 23.5 
			 Bangladeshi 37.9 40.9 43.3 22.4 22.8 24.1 
			 Any Other Asian Background 50.6 50.8 51.4 31.7 31.7 30.5 
			 Black 35.1 37.3 37.9 20.9 21.9 22.0 
			 Black Caribbean 31.8 32.4 32.6 17.0 17.5 17.8 
			 Black African 37.8 40.9 41.6 23.9 25.1 25.0 
			 Any Other Black Background 33.1 34.9 35.1 18.7 19.7 19.8 
			 Chinese 69.0 69.7 70.9 46.3 45.1 46.5 
			 Any Other Ethnic Group 40.8 41.5 43.4 25.1 25.0 24.8 
			 Unclassified(8) 41.3 45.7 45.3 29.0 32.2 32.2 
			 All pupils 45.5 46.1 47.4 31.2 31.5 31.8 
			 (1) Number of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in each academic year. (2) 2007/08 and 2008/09 figures are based on final data. 2009/10 figures are amended. (3) Highest grade achieved in English, English Studies or English Language. (4) Covers the following GCSE languages: French, German, Spanish, Danish, Dutch. Italian, Modem Greek, Portuguese, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Gujarali, Hindi, Japanese, Modern Hebrew, Panjabi, Polish, Russian, Turkish, Urdu, Persian. (5) The two sciences can be either: i. Double science GCSE or ii. GCSE Science (Core or Applied) plus GCSE Additional Science or Applied Additional Science or GCSE Land and Environment or iii. At least two of the following subjects: Physics GCSE, Chemistry GCSE and Biological Science GCSE. (6) In 2010 iGCSEs, accredited at time of publication, have been counted as GCSE equivalents and also as English and mathematics GCSEs. (7) Due to small numbers of pupils from those ethnic groups, small changes may not be significant and year-on-year comparisons should be treated with caution. (8) Includes pupils for whom ethnicity or first language was not obtained, refused or could not be determined.  Source: National Pupil Database

Education Maintenance Allowance: Medway

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children received education maintenance allowance in the  (a) Medway council and  (b) Tonbridge and Malling borough council area in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the education maintenance allowance for the Department for Education and manage the Capita contract. Peter Lauener, the YPLA's chief executive, has written to the hon. Member for Chatham and Aylesford with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	 Letter from Peter Lauener, dated 30 March 2011:
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question PQ50045 that asked:
	"How many children received education maintenance allowance in the (a) Medway Council and (b) Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council area in the latest period for which figures are available."
	Information on the number of young people who have received EMA is available for upper tier local authorities but not by constituency, local authority ward or council level.
	EMA take-up is defined as young people who have received one or more EMA payments in the academic year.
	The table below shows local authority take-up as at 28 February 2011.
	
		
			   Take-up 
			 Medway 3,213 
			 Kent 15,270 
		
	
	EMA take-up data showing the number of young people who have received one or more EMA payments during 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07, 2007/08, 2008/09 and 2009/10 is available on the YPLA website, at the following address:
	http://ema.ypla.gov.uk/resources/research/takeup/

English Baccalaureate

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consultation he undertook with schools prior to introducing the English Baccalaureate into performance tables.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 18 January 2011
	We announced our intention to introduce the English Baccalaureate in the Schools White Paper in November and invited schools to submit their comments by the end of the year. We have included the English Baccalaureate measure in the performance tables to make information about schools' performance more widely available in line with the coalition Government's commitment to improve transparency. Our aim is to provide parents with more information on schools and, in the process, stimulate debate on what schools should be teaching. We have not set any targets for the English Baccalaureate and are not using it as an accountability measure.

Free School Meals

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children received free school meals in each ward in the  (a) Medway council and  (b) Tonbridge and Malling borough council area in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: Information about the number of resident school pupils eligible for free school meals in each ward in Medway and Tonbridge and Malling is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Number and percentage of resident pupils( 1)  eligible for free school meals( 2)  in each ward( 3)  in (a) Medway and (b) Tonbridge and Ma l ling in January 2010 
			   Resident pupils( 1)  eligible for free school meals( 2) 
			   Number  Percentage 
			  Medway 5,030 13.4 
			 Chatham Central 550 21.5 
			 Cuxton and Halling 40 4.6 
			 Gillingham North 660 24.9 
			 Gillingham South 440 17.8 
			 Hempstead and Wigmore 20 1.7 
			 Lordswood and Capstone 160 11.8 
			 Luton and Wayfield 440 20.4 
			 Peninsula 160 8.5 
			 Princes Park 230 13.4 
			 Rainham Central 90 5.1 
			 Rainham North 150 13.3 
			 Rainham South 180 9.2 
			 River 110 11.8 
			 Rochester East 230 16.8 
			 Rochester South and Horsted 110 6.2 
			 Rochester West 140 12.8 
			 Strood North 250 11.8 
			 Strood Rural 180 8.6 
			 Strood South 390 17.1 
			 Twydall 290 15 
			 Walderslade 150 10.6 
			 Watling 100 7.2 
			
			  Tonbridge and Malling 1,550 9.5 
			 Aylesford 70 10 
			 Blue Bell Hill and Walderslade 10 1.4 
			 Borough Green and Long Mill 50 5.7 
			 Burham, Eccles and Wouldham 60 9.8 
			 Cage Green 50 8.4 
			 Castle 20 3.2 
			 Ditton 60 8.3 
			 Downs 20 5.4 
			 East Malling 210 26.5 
			 East Peckham and Golden Green 30 6.7 
			 Hadlow, Mereworth and West Peckham 90 16.2 
			 Higham 70 7.5 
			 Hildenborough 30 4.2 
			 Ightham 10 2.2 
			 Judd 60 8.4 
			 Kings Hill 70 5 
			 Larkfield North 30 5.7 
			 Larkfield South 60 9.6 
			 Medway 80 13.2 
			 Snodland East 130 20 
			 Snodland West 70 9.9 
			 Trench 140 24.1 
			 Vauxhall 60 9.1 
			 Wateringbury 10 1.6 
			 West Malling and Leybourne 40 5.9 
			 Wrotham 40 17.3 
			 (1) Includes full-time and part-time pupils, including boarders, who are sole or dual registrations, attending maintained nursery, primary, middle deemed primary, secondary and middle deemed secondary schools. City technology colleges, academies and all special schools. (2) Pupils eligible for free school meals who have full-time attendance and are aged 15 or under, or pupils who have part-time attendance and are aged between five and 15. (3) Census area statistic (CAS) wards.  Source: School Census (Final).

Free School Meals: Pendle Borough Council

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children received free school meals in each ward in the Pendle borough council area in the last year for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: Information about the number of resident school pupils eligible for free school meals in each ward in Pendle is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Number and percentage of resident pupils( 1)  eligible for free school meals( 2)  in each ward( 3 ) in Pendle in January 2010 
			   Number of resident pupils( 1 ) eligible for free school meals( 2, 4)  Percentage of resident pupils( 1)  eligible for free school meals( 2) 
			 Pendle 2,390 19.0 
			 Barrowford 50 8.6 
			 Blacko and Higherford (5)- (5)- 
			 Boulsworth 30 5.0 
			 Bradley 330 28.4 
			 Brierfield 190 24.1 
			 Clover Hill 200 25.5 
			 Coates 90 11.6 
			 Craven 70 10.9 
			 Earby 100 12.6 
			 Foulridge 10 4.5 
			 Higham and Pendleside (5)- (5)- 
			 Horsfield 140 23.2 
			 Marsden 90 18.6 
			 Old Laund Booth 10 4.6 
			 Reedley 120 14.6 
			 Southfield 240 26.6 
			 Vivary Bridge 210 23.7 
			 Walverden 150 22.0 
			 Waterside 200 27.7 
			 Whitefield 170 22.9 
			 (1) Includes full time and part time pupils, including boarders, who are sole or dual registrations, attending maintained nursery, primary, middle deemed primary, secondary and middle deemed secondary schools, city technology colleges, academies and al special schools. (2) Pupils eligible for free school meals who have full time attendance and are aged 15 or under, or pupils who have part time attendance and are aged between 5 and 15. (3) Census Area Statistic (CAS) Wards. (4) Numbers in this table have been rounded to the nearest 10. (5) Figures suppressed to protect confidentiality.  Source: School Census (Final)

Further Education: Free School Meals

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to ensure 16 to 18-year-olds in full-time education in a further education or sixth form college have access to a free lunch.

Nick Gibb: Free school meals are currently available to pupils in a school sixth form, including those who are 19 or over, as long as they began their course of study before attaining the age of 18.
	The Department has registered concern that similar funding is not available for pupils studying in further education or sixth form colleges but currently has no plans to extend free school meal eligibility.

GCSE

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children achieved five or more A* to C GCSEs in each year since 1997, where those GCSEs included  (a) English language,  (b) mathematics,  (c) a modern foreign language,  (d) history or geography and  (e) a science; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The information available is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Children who achieved five or more A* to C GCSEs where those GCSEs included English language, mathematics, history or geography, a modern foreign language and a science, for the period 2007-10 
			   Number 
			 2007 109,532 
			 2008 105,310 
			 2009 105,411 
			 2010 106,108 
		
	
	Figures are based on pupils at the end of Key Stage 4.
	2010 figures include only full and double award GCSEs and iGCSEs.
	Further years can be provided only at disproportionate cost but we are committed to producing a time series for English Baccalaureate in the future. The figures above are not identical to the subjects included in the English Baccalaureate. The 2010 published data can be found at the following link:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000985/index.shtml
	For clarity, the composition of the subject groups comprised is as follows:
	 English
	English
	English language
	 Maths
	Mathematics
	Mathematics (FSMQ)
	Maths (Mechanics)
	Mathematics (Pure)
	Maths (Discrete)
	Mathematics (Applied)
	Maths (Statistics)
	Maths (Pure and applied)
	Maths (Pure and decsn)
	Maths (Pure and stats)
	Stats and decsn. maths
	Maths (Pure and mechs)
	Maths (Further)
	Additional maths
	Mathematical stds.
	 Science
	Biology
	Biology: Human
	Biology: Social
	Biology: Human and Soc
	Chemistry
	Physics
	Science (Core)
	Science SA
	Science: Additional
	Sci: Dual Award A
	Env and Land Science
	Sci: Dual Award B
	Science Double Awd
	Sci: Double Awd B
	Sci: Biol and Chem
	Sci: Biol and Phys
	Sci: Chem and Phys
	Aeronautics
	Sci: Agricultural
	Sci: Agric and Hortic
	Science: Applied
	Science: Astronomy
	Botany
	Sci: Electronics
	Sci: Environmental
	Science: Geology
	Sci: Horticulture
	Science: Physical
	Sci: Psychology
	Robotics
	Science: Rural
	Science in Society
	Sci for Public Und
	Sci: Technology
	Science: Zoology
	Sci: Meteorology
	Engineering Sci
	Science: Other
	 Modern Foreign Language
	Welsh language
	Welsh (2nd language)
	Welsh literature
	Irish
	Danish
	Dutch
	French
	German
	Italian
	Modern Greek
	Portuguese
	Spanish
	Arabic
	Bengali
	Chinese
	Gujarati
	Hindi
	Japanese
	Modern Hebrew
	Panjabi
	Polish
	Russian
	Turkish
	Urdu
	Persian
	Czech
	Swedish
	Other languages
	 Source:
	School and College Performance Tables.

GCSE: Free Schools Meals

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of children gained five or more A* to C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics in each year since GCSEs were introduced; and how many of those were  (a) eligible and  (b) ineligible for free school meals in each such year.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 1 April 2011
	The figures requested are given in the following table for 2005/06 to 2009/10.
	
		
			  Achievements at GCSE and equivalent for pupils( 1)  at the end of key stage 4 by free school meal eligibility, 2005/06 to 2009/10( 2, 3) , England, maintained schools (including academies and CTSs) 
			All pupils  FSM  Non-FSM  Unclassified( 4) 
			  2005/06  
			 Number of eligible pupils(1)  594,134 78,087 514,516 1,531 
			 Pupils achieving 5+ A*-C grades including English and mathematics Number 261,336 15,320 245,508 508 
			  Percentage 44.0 19.6 47.7 33.2 
			  2006/07  
			 Number of eligible pupils(1)  600,659 76,566 521,826 2.267 
			 Pupils achieving 5+ A*-C grades including English and mathematics Number 274,823 16,385 257,649 789 
			  Percentage 45.8 21.4 49.4 34.8 
			  2007/08  
			 Number of eligible pupils(1)  598,102 74,760 522,304 1,038 
			 Pupils achieving 5+ A*-C grades including English and mathematics Number 288,158 17,814 269,933 41 
			  Percentage 48.2 23.8 51.7 39.6 
			  2008/09  
			 Number of eligible pupils(1)  578,840 74,419 504,377 44 
			 Pupils achieving 5+ A*-C grades including English and mathematics Number 293,443 19,778 273,640 25 
			  Percentage 50.7 26.6 54.3 56.8 
			  2009/10  
			 Number of eligible pupils(1)  578,275 77,408 500,811 56 
			 Pupils achieving 5+ A*-C grades including English and mathematics Number 316,941 23,937 292,985 19 
			  Percentage 54.8 30.9 58.5 33.9 
			 (1) Number of pupils at the end of key stage 4 in each academic year. (2) Figures for 2005/06 to 2008/09 are based on final data, 2009/10 figures are based on provisional data. (3) In 2010, iGCSEs, accredited at time of publication, have been counted as GCSE equivalents and also as English and mathematics GCSEs. (4) Includes pupils for whom free school meal eligibility could not be determined.  Source: National Pupil Database. 
		
	
	"Five GCSEs including English and mathematics" was not recorded on the national pupil database before 2003/04. Figures for 2003/04 and 2004/05 could not be calculated without exceeding disproportionate costs.

History: Education

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the conclusions and recommendations of the March 2011 Ofsted survey of history in schools in respect of the use in schools of set textbooks.

Nick Gibb: As part of our review of the national curriculum, which is under way, we will be considering ways in which we can stimulate the market to produce high quality text books and other resources to support the new curriculum. The Government believe, however, that teachers should be free to use their professional judgment when determining which resources they should use in the classroom to meet the needs of their pupils.

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to respond to the letters from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay of 31 January and 21 February 2011 on his constituent Ms K. Evans.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 28 March 2011
	The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Schools (Lord Hill) replied to my hon. Friend on 29 March 2011.

Ofsted: Expenditure

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much Ofsted has spent on its learning and skills division in each of the last five years; and what proportion of that expenditure was on on-site inspections.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM chief inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to my hon. Friend and a copy of her reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 22 October 2010:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
	Ofsted does not and has not had a learning and skills division. However, the table below sets out:
	i) the total cost of learning and skills inspections (operational costs plus overheads) for the financial years 2007/08, 2008/09 and 2009/2010;
	ii) the overall operational cost of learning and skills inspections excluding overheads for the financial years 2007/08, 2008/09 and 2009/2010. We are taking operational costs of inspections (direct and indirect costs) to equate here to 'expenditure on site inspections';
	iii) the proportion of total costs that is operational cost.
	
		
			  Overall costs as defined above  2007/08  2008/09  2009/ 10 
			 i) (£) 25,327,000 23,623,000 20,736,000 
			 ii) (£) 19,048,000 16,952,000 14,210,000 
			 iii) (%) 75.2 71.8 68.5 
		
	
	This covers inspection of further education colleges, sixth form colleges, work-based learning providers, teacher training providers, adult and community learning providers, next step adult information, advice and guidance providers, Department for Work and Pensions contracted employment providers, 'learndirect' provision and training and education provided by prisons and probation trusts.
	Ofsted does not hold comparable data for the previous financial years 2005/06 and 2006/07 since this period preceded the merger between Ofsted and the Adult Learning Inspectorate which transferred the functions of inspecting adult learning, skills and employment to Ofsted from April 2007.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Nick Gibb MP, Minister of State for Schools, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

Pupil Exclusions: Berkshire

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils were excluded permanently from schools in  (a) Berkshire,  (b) Reading and  (c) Reading West constituency in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The requested information is shown in the tables.
	Berkshire was reorganised in 1998, so information has been provided for the six local authorities Berkshire was divided into.
	
		
			  Maintained primary, state-funded secondary and special schools( 1, 2) , number of permanent exclusions( 3, 4,)  2004/05 to 2008/09 
			   Maintained primary, state-funded secondary and special schools( 1, 2, 5) 
			   2004/05  2005/06  2006/07 
			   Number of permanent exclusions  Percentage of school population( 6)  Number of permanent exclusions  Percentage of school population( 6)  Number of permanent exclusions  Percentage of school population( 6) 
			 Bracknell Forest 40 0.28 30 0.19 30 0.17 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 30 0.17 20 0.10 40 0.20 
			 West Berkshire 30 0.12 50 0.21 40 0.17 
			 Reading 30 0.16 20 0.15 10 0.08 
			 Slough 10 0.05 10 0.05 20 0.08 
			 Wokingham 40 0.17 40 0.19 30 0.14 
			 Reading West 30 0.16 20 0.16 20 0.12 
		
	
	
		
			   2007/08  2008/09 
			   Number of permanent exclusions  Percentage of school population( 6)  Number of permanent exclusions  Percentage of school population( 6) 
			 Bracknell Forest 30 0.19 30 0.18 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 20 0.10 20 0.10 
			 West Berkshire 30 0.12 (7)- (7)- 
			 Reading 10 0.07 10 0.05 
			 Slough (7)- (7)- 10 0.02 
			 Wokingham 30 0.13 30 0.11 
			 Reading West 20 0.12 10 0.04 
			 (1 )Includes middle schools as deemed. (2 )Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools. (3 )Figures are as confirmed by local authorities as part of the data checking exercise. (4 )Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. (5 )Includes city technology colleges and academies (including all-through academies). (6 )The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of pupils (excluding dually registered pupils). (7 )Less than 5, or a percentage based on less than 5.  Source:  School Census

Schools

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many written communications his Department has sent to  (a) local education authorities and  (b) schools since 1 June 2010.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 1 April 2011
	The Department's primary method of written communication to schools and local authorities is by official e-mail. Since 1 June 2010, the Department has issued 29 such e-mails to all local authorities, eight to small groups of schools for operational purposes and nine to all schools informing them of major policy issues.
	Comparative figures for 2009/10 show that the Department issued 48 e-mails to all local authorities, 47 to small groups of schools for operational purposes and 33 to all schools informing them of major policy issues.

Schools: Benwell

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans his Department has to support schools in the Benwell and Scotswood area of Newcastle.

Nick Gibb: The Secretary of State has written to all local authorities, including Newcastle city council asking them to produce a school improvement plan for underperforming schools in their area by 15 April 2011.

Schools: Drugs

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on introducing pilot voluntary drug testing programmes in secondary schools; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 31 March 2011
	There are no plans to introduce such a programme nationally. Headteachers are already entitled to develop voluntary approaches within their schools and departmental advice is set out in 'Drugs: Guidance for Schools' published in 2004 and available at:
	www.education.gov.uk/publications
	This document is currently being simplified and updated in line with our commitments to reduce bureaucracy in schools. However, the advice on drug testing is unlikely to change substantially based on currently available evidence.

Schools: Drugs

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the likely effects of the use of skunk cannabis on the academic performance of adolescents; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah Teather: holding answer  31 March 2011
	Early cannabis use is associated with increased risk of disengagement from school and, ultimately, poor academic performance. This effect is found in both international research papers and in the annual survey "Smoking Drinking and Drug Use Amongst Young People in England" (SDD) funded by the Department for Education, Home Office and NHS Information Centre.
	The most recent SDD report found that pupils who had truanted or been excluded from school were far more likely to report regular drug use (14% compared with 1% of pupils who had not truanted or been excluded). Cannabis is the most common drug used among the SDD sample.
	However, it is often not possible to identify a simple causal relationship between cannabis use and educational attainment. It is most likely that these behaviours are interrelated with drug use increasing the risk of exclusion or disengagement from school which in turn increases the risk of drug or alcohol misuse.
	No specific assessment has been made of the impact of particular types of cannabis.

Schools: Drugs

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on any potential link between academic underperformance and the use of drugs; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 31 March 2011
	There are clear links between early drug use and poor educational outcomes. The Department for Education currently funds a proportion of the annual survey 'Smoking Drinking and Drug Use Among Young People in England' which provides detailed information on patterns of reported drug use among pupils aged 11 to 15.
	Over the past year the Department has also commissioned an analysis of the relationships between different risk factors, including drug use, on educational and social outcomes. The report, which is being completed by the National Centre for Social Research, will draw on data from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England and will be published shortly.
	A report 'Specialist Drug and Alcohol Services for Young People-A Cost Benefit Analysis' published in February 2011 looked at the costs associated with poor educational and employment outcomes due to young people's drug and alcohol use.
	The full report can be accessed at:
	http://education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/DFE-RR087
	As part of developing the national Drug Strategy published in December 2010, officials from the Department evaluated a broad range of research evidence on the effects of early drug use on educational and social outcomes and on the effectiveness of programmes designed to prevent drug use among young people.

Schools: Sports

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what progress has been made in returning funding to school sport partnerships following the initial withdrawal of that funding in October 2010.

Tim Loughton: Funding of £47 million was paid to school sport partnerships in February this year. This will fund their work up to the end of the summer term 2011. This is in addition to £71 million paid to partnerships in October last year.
	Ring-fenced funding for school sport partnerships will not continue beyond the summer term 2011. Instead, the Secretary of State is making available £65 million of new funding for schools to enable them to provide more opportunities for competitive sport. This funding will cover the school years 2011/12 and 2012/13 and will pay for one day a week of a secondary PE teacher's time to be spent out of the classroom, encouraging greater take-up of competitive sport in primary schools and securing a fixture network for schools to increase the amount of intra- and inter-school competition. Further details of this funding will be sent to schools soon.
	In addition, at the Sports Colleges Conference in Telford in February, the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), announced outline plans for a network of School Games Organisers from September 2011. These organisers will be funded by the Department of Health and Sport England for three days a week to help schools sign up for the nationwide School Games. Further details on the funding for these organiser posts, their precise roles, and how schools can apply for them have been sent to schools.
	Taken together, I believe this package of funding will enable schools to maximise the opportunities for competitive sport that they can provide for their pupils.

Schools: Standards

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects to announce the allocation of the National Challenge programme funding for local authorities.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 11 February 2011
	The final National Challenge programme funding allocation will be paid to local authorities at the end of March 2011 as part of the Standards Fund grant. Local authorities have already been notified of their allocations for 2010-11.

Schools: Sun Protection

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what information his Department holds on the number of schools with a sun protection policy;
	(2)  what guidance his Department issues to schools on reducing the exposure of children to harmful levels of sunlight;
	(3)  what consideration he has given to the merits of requiring mandatory use of sunblock in schools in order to prevent the development of malignant melanomas.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education holds no information on the number of schools with a sun protection policy; has not issued departmental advice on reducing the exposure of children to harmful levels of sunlight; and has no plans to require, in law, the use of sun block in schools.
	Cancer Research UK (CRUK) has a specific section on their website dedicated to schools:
	http://www.sunsmart.org.uk/schools/
	where teachers can download guidelines on developing sun protection policies, as well as advice on incorporating sun protection into the school curriculum and various SunSmart posters and other resources. There are also other sources of advice and guidance to the public on sun protection such as the Health Protection Agency webpage at:
	http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/Radiation/Understanding Radiation/InformationSheets/info_SunsensePoster/
	and a Directgov webpage specifically aimed at young people at:
	http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/YoungPeople/HealthAndRelationships/KeepingHealthy/DG_10036860
	The Department expects head teachers to have a common sense approach, using the advice and guidance available, when dealing with sun protection in their schools.

Teachers: Training

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for the future of  (a) teacher training and  (b) the balance between academic and practical teacher training.

Nick Gibb: The Schools White Paper, The Importance of Teaching signalled our plans for the future of teacher training including raising standards for new entrants, for example by providing the funding to more than double the size of Teach First, and ensuring that appropriate and relevant training is available for both new graduates and career changers. We will publish for consultation our detailed proposals for the funding of initial teacher training later this year.
	The White Paper reaffirms our commitment to ensure that more teacher training is on the job and practical. Universities will continue to play an important role in training teachers, in partnership with schools.

Third Sector

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department has taken to support the big society initiative.

Sarah Teather: The big society is more than a collection of policies-it is an approach which is at the heart of the Government's reforms across all policy areas with the aim of localising power and opening up public services and encouraging social action. Each Department has a range of specific programmes which will contribute to growing the big society. These policies are co-ordinated across Government through meetings at official and ministerial level, including the Informal Ministerial Group on the Big Society and Localism, which shares ideas and supports progress on cross-cutting issues relating to the big society.
	The Department for Education has several programmes aimed at achieving the big society goals of catalysing social action, decentralising power and opening up public services. These include Free Schools, where we are working with local groups who have submitted proposals and are on track for the first Free Schools to be opened in September 2011, and the National Citizen Service where we are working closely with the Cabinet Office with the first pilots starting in summer 2011.

University Technical Colleges

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether it is his policy that all university technical colleges will  (a) enrol children aged 11 to 18 years,  (b) be established in partnership with a university and a further education or sixth form college and  (c) offer a curriculum which consists of a maximum of 20 per cent. of vocational education.

Nick Gibb: The Department is committed to setting up technical academies, including at least 24 university technical colleges (UTCs).
	The Department welcomes proposals across the age range for new technical academies. UTCs have a 14 to 19 age range and are sponsored by a local university. Further education colleges and other educational institutions may also work in partnership with UTCs.
	In her report, Professor Alison Wolf recommended an academic core to the pre-16 curriculum. Where technical academies or UTCs cover pre-16 education, they will provide this academic core, alongside technical studies, through a longer day and year. The Department has not specified how technical academies or UTCs should split students' time between academic and vocational or technical studies.

Work Experience

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the transition from the Young People's Learning Agency to the Education Funding Agency on access by school pupils to work experience in Autumn 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 14 February 2011
	Subject to the successful passage of the Education Bill currently before Parliament, the new Education Funding Agency will take over the Young People's Learning Agency's funding responsibilities from 1 April 2012. In these circumstances, the proposed transition will not impact on access by school pupils to work experience in autumn 2011.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Burma: Politics and Government

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department has assessed the humanitarian needs of ethnic Kachin people relocated to the Myitsone Aung Mye Thar model village in Kachin state, Burma.

Alan Duncan: We are aware of many cases in Burma where people have been displaced as a result of conflict or to make way for development projects. Humanitarian needs are vast right across the country. The Department for International Development (DFID) is expanding its programme of assistance to the Burmese people significantly over the next four years, focusing on health, education, livelihoods of rural families, civil society and people affected by conflict. Our aid is provided through the United Nations, non-governmental organisations and civil society rather than the Burmese central Government.

Departmental Official Cars

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on what date  (a) he and  (b) each other Minister in his Department last used a ministerial car while travelling in an official capacity; and how many times (i) he and (ii) each other Minister in his Department has travelled to their constituency in a ministerial car since May 2010.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not hold a central record of all journeys undertaken by Ministers and the mode of transport used. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the ministerial code. The Secretary of State, Parliamentary Under-Secretary-of State and I last travelled in a ministerial car on 4 April 2011.

Departmental Public Transport

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  on what date  (a) he and  (b) each other Minister in his Department last travelled by (i) London Underground and (ii) public bus services on Government business; how many times (A) he and (B) each other Minister in his Department has travelled by each such form of transport on government business since May 2010; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many of his ministerial team have been issued with  (a) an Oyster card and  (b) a (i) monthly and (ii) annual travel card valid on London Transport and paid for by his Department for use while travelling on Government business.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not hold a central record of all journeys undertaken by Ministers and the mode of transport used. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the ministerial code. Ministers have not been issued with Oyster or other travel cards, but do walk or cycle when possible.

Departmental Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on ministerial travel by  (a) ministerial car,  (b) train,  (c) bus,  (d) commercial aircraft and  (e) private aircraft since May 2010.

Alan Duncan: Details of overseas travel by Ministers between 13 May and 30 September 2010 are available on the Department for International Development's (DFID's) website. Details of overseas travel between 1 October and 30 December 2010 will be published on the website shortly. DFID is unable to provide details of ministerial travel in the UK without incurring disproportionate cost. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.

Ivory Coast: Overseas Aid

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what humanitarian aid his Department is providing to the people of the Ivory Coast.

Stephen O'Brien: In response to the humanitarian crisis in Ivory Coast, the UK has swiftly responded to the growing needs of its people. The British Government announced last week an urgent emergency aid package totalling £8 million to help tens of thousands of people in Ivory Coast affected by fierce fighting and violence. In addition the British Government have announced a further £8 million to Liberia to help with the refugee influx from the Ivory Coast. The UK also committed £1 million to Liberia for Ivorian refugees back in February.
	The new funds provided by Britain to Ivory Coast and Liberia is planned to provide food, shelter, water and sanitation, treatment for malnutrition and basic services for over 90,000 people.

Japan: Humanitarian Aid

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent estimate he has made of the level of humanitarian aid to Japan provided by his Department following the earthquake of March 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Mitchell: Japan is well equipped to deal with disasters, but the scale of the devastation caused by the recent earthquake and tsunami was unprecedented. In response, 134 countries including the UK offered humanitarian assistance. However, the decision as to which offers of assistance to accept correctly sits with the Government of Japan, who are best placed to co-ordinate the relief effort in conjunction with local partners. They have been doing a tremendous job in very difficult circumstances.
	As a highly developed country, the gaps in humanitarian need that cannot be met by Japan itself are very specific. In addition to the request for the UK to send a search and rescue team, Japan asked the Department for International Development to deliver 100 tonnes of bottled water to Ibariki prefecture so that it could be mixed with baby food. This is being used to protect infants from absorbing potentially damaging levels of radiation leaked into water supplies from the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Mali: Development Aid

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps his Department has taken to support  (a) diversified lending and investment,  (b) debt relief and  (c) the achievement of the millennium development goals in Mali.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) supports Mali to achieve the millennium development goals through our contributions to multilateral development organisations, including the UN, World Bank and European Commission. In 2008-09, the UK's share of multilateral spending in Mali was £38.67 million. The Global Poverty Action Fund, launched in October 2010, is open to applications from civil society organisations to work in the bottom 50 countries on the Human Development Index, including Mali.
	DFID was an early supporter of the heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) Initiative. On reaching completion point in 2003 Mali received debt relief totalling $0.9 billion through HIPC and $2 billion through the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI). The UK provided an additional £2.09 million in debt relief to Mali in 2006-07. Although Mali's risk of debt distress is low, we encourage the Government of Mali to maintain sound debt and fiscal policies and to promote growth and economic diversification in line with IMF guidance.

Mali: Food

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of changes in the adequacy of food supply in Mali since 2010.

Stephen O'Brien: Following a good harvest in late 2010, food availability forecasts across Mali are positive, with the majority of poor households being food secure. However, as the lean season approaches, food availability in the east of the country is likely to deteriorate.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) will closely monitor the situation as it develops.

Overseas Aid

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding the UK committed to spend as a result of each international conference on  (a) climate change and  (b) poverty in the last 10 years; and how much such funding has been spent in each case.

Alan Duncan: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost. The coalition Government are clear that the UK will no longer make international promises in monetary terms. What matters is not the amount of money spent but the results delivered for poor people. That is why the Deputy Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr Clegg) and the Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell) made commitments such as saving the lives of at least 50,000 women in pregnancy and childbirth, a quarter of a million newborn babies and enable 10 million couples to access modern methods of family planning, at the Millennium Development Goals summit in New York last September.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid his Department has provided to Gaza in each of the last five years.

Alan Duncan: It is not possible to fully disaggregate UK aid to Gaza from our total support to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). For example, our financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority (PA), via a World Bank Trust Fund, helps pay for basic services and salaries of public sector workers in both Gaza and the West Bank. In addition, our support to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) helps provide basic services, such as education, healthcare and social services, to Palestinian refugees across the OPTs and the Middle East.
	The UK does not provide any support, either directly or indirectly, to the de facto authorities in Gaza. Under European Union and British legislation it is illegal to provide financial assistance to Hamas.
	The following table shows, for each of the last five financial years, how much aid the UK provided to the PA, UNRWA, OPTs-wide projects that included a Gaza component, and humanitarian aid and funding for early recovery work to Gaza.
	
		
			  UK aid intervention  2010-11  2009-10  2008-09  2007-08  2006-07 
			 Financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority (benefitting both Gaza and the west bank) £30 million through World Bank Trust Fund £38.5 million through World Bank Trust Fund £23.5 million through World Bank Trust Fund £38.45 million  (£3 million through Temporary International Mechanism;  £15.45 million through PEGASE; £20 million through World Bank Trust Fund) £11.875 million through Temporary International Mechanism 
			   
			 Financial assistance to UNRWA (unless otherwise stated, this is core funding spent across the OPTs Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan £27 million core funding £19.93 million core funding plus £5 million specifically for education in Gaza £19 million core funding £15.6 million core funding £15 million core funding 
			   
			 Projects across the OPTs with Gaza component £1.47 million £1.07 million £0.63 million - £51,000 
			   
			 Humanitarian aid and early recovery work (Gaza only) £5.2 million £11.9 million £13.3 million £3 million £0.23 million

TREASURY

Banks

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a oral statement to the House after the Easter Recess on the interim findings of the Independent Commission on Banking.

Mark Hoban: holding answer 31 March 2011
	The Government have no plans for a debate on the interim report of the Independent Commission on Banking. The Government welcome the progress that the Commission has made and look forward to receiving its final recommendations in September 2011.

Banks: Corporate Hospitality

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with banking institutions in which the Government has a stake on planned expenditure on corporate hospitality in (a) 2011 and  (b) 2012.

Mark Hoban: The Chancellor of the Exchequer meets chief executives of UK banking institutions on a range of issues. It is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.

Banks: Incentives

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will estimate the number of individuals likely to benefit from the exemption whereby trusts established by firms for the payment of bonuses in the banking industry may defer paying tax on such bonuses for between three to five years in each of the next four financial years;
	(2)  what his policy is on continuing the ability of trusts established to pay bonuses by firms in the banking industry to defer paying tax on such bonuses for between three and five years;
	(3)  if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of the exemption whereby trusts established to pay bonuses by firms in the banking industry may defer paying tax on such bonuses for between three and five years.

Mark Hoban: As part of the Government's commitment to tackle tax avoidance, Finance Bill 2011 includes legislation to target arrangements involving intermediary vehicles, including trusts, put in place by employers to disguise remuneration or avoid restrictions on pensions tax relief. The Government have consulted widely and have given very careful consideration to ensuring that the legislation does not impact on responsible and sustainable remuneration structures where there is no tax avoidance motive.
	Legislation in the 2011 Finance Bill will not apply to genuine deferrals of remuneration, subject to a five year limit. Taking account of genuine deferral will ensure consistent treatment with existing rules applying to rewards that are paid directly to the employee by the employer, but with the additional safeguard of the five year time limit.
	Arrangements which are motivated by tax avoidance will be charged immediately to the full rate of tax under the new law.
	No such estimates are available in relation to the exemptions mentioned in the hon. Member's questions.

Banks: Incentives

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to paragraph 16 of Project Merlin - Banks' Statement, whether the chief executive of each banking institution will forfeit their right to  (a) a bonus and  (b) an annual increase in base salary if the relevant lending targets are not met.

Mark Hoban: The banks have stated a capacity and willingness to lend £190 billion of new credit to business in 2011, up from £179 billion actual lending in 2010. If demand exceeds this, the banks will lend more. £76 billion of this new lending capacity will be to small and medium-sized enterprises.
	These lending commitments will be part of the performance metrics of each bank's chief executive. If a bank does not meet the commitment, its chief executive will not receive the maximum pay and bonus as a result.

Child Tax Credit

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the savings to his Department from the reduction in sums payable under the childcare element of working tax credit in each of the next four financial years.

Justine Greening: The latest estimate of the savings to HMRC from the reduction in sums payable under the child care element of working tax credit was published in chapter 2 (p.44) of the Budget 2011 document, available at
	http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/2011budget_chapter2.pdf

Child Tax Credit

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the likely effect on annual incomes of households to which the childcare element of working tax credit is to be reduced of circumstances where one spouse or partner is required to reduce their hours of employment in order to provide additional childcare in person.

Justine Greening: The reduction of child care support to 70% from 80% is part of a range of reforms to the tax credits system announced at the spending review. There are interactions between the measures so estimating the impact of just one measure does not give a clear indication of the full impact on households.
	The Government published estimates of the distributional impact of the whole package of announced tax and benefit measures which can be found at:
	http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/sr2010_annexb.pdf

Departmental Contracts

Tessa Munt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what contracts his Department and its associated public bodies signed with Lockheed Martin in each of the last 10 years; and for what purposes each such contract was let.

Justine Greening: HM Treasury Group (including HM Treasury, the UK Debt Management Office, and the Asset Protection Agency) has not held any contracts with Lockheed Martin since financial year 2002-03. As a result of change in the Department's finance and accounting systems, information for previous years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Chris Bryant: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what recent  (a) representations he has received from and  (b) discussions he has had with the Central Europe Trust;
	(2)  on how many occasions he has met Lord Lawson of Blaby in the course of his official duties since his appointment.

Justine Greening: holding answers 29 March 2011
	 A list of Treasury Ministers' meetings with outside interest groups is published quarterly on the Treasury website:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/ministerial_meetings.htm
	Treasury Ministers and officials meet representatives from a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sector as part of the process of policy development and implementation. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Economic Situation

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to rebalance the Welsh economy.

Danny Alexander: The Government set out in the Budget and in their Plan for Growth the steps they intend to take to rebalance the UK economy, including the Welsh economy. Measures that will benefit Wales include reducing corporation tax and tax simplification; support for SMEs including increasing finance for new start-ups and business growth; support for investment including the Green Investment Bank, reforms to UKTI, and sectoral support; and a more educated workforce including additional work experience placements. In devolved areas of policy it is for the Welsh Assembly Government to determine its own policies and priorities.

Financial Services

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the level of exposure of companies regulated by the Financial Services Authority to defaults relating to  (a) government debt within the euro-zone,  (b) household lending,  (c) commercial property,  (d) US residential and commercial property and  (e) emerging markets; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The Treasury works closely with the Bank of England and the FSA to monitor and manage risks to financial stability, including those posed by exposure to specific default risks. The authorities consider a wide range of scenarios and make contingency plans accordingly. In addition, the FSA stress tests institutions regularly to ensure they have sufficient capital to withstand severe financial and economic shocks. More details on the FSA stress testing process are available on the FSA website:
	http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/About/What/International/stress_testing/index.shtml
	A description of the FSA stress scenarios is provided in the Prudential Risk Outlook, published in March 2011 by the FSA.

Financial Services

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures are in place to assess whether the banks participating in Project Merlin meet their commitment on levels of new credit to be made available to business in 2011; and what steps he plans to take if these commitments are not met.

Mark Hoban: The Bank of England will publish quarterly data on the banks' total new lending to businesses under the Project Merlin definition. The Government will consider the banks' performance against the commitment in due course.

FirstBuy Programme

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with  (a) mortgage providers and  (b) the Council for Mortgage Lenders on the FirstBuy programme; and if he will make a statement.

Grant Shapps: I have been asked to reply.
	The Council of Mortgage Lenders has welcomed the FirstBuy programme announced by the Chancellor in the Budget. My Officials meet with the council and lenders on a regular basis.
	FirstBuy will be delivered by the Homes and Communities Agency who have had initial discussions with over 50 retail lenders regarding the scheme and further meetings will follow.

Fuels: Prices

Alun Cairns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what reports he has received of petrol stations which have not reduced the price of fuel following his Budget Statement on 23 March 2011.

Justine Greening: Based on established practice the Government's expectation is that retailers should pass on duty changes to their customers. The Government routinely monitor pump price data and are taking note of other evidence.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the effects on economic growth of the adoption of the recommendation of the Committee on Climate Change that the UK should aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 per cent. of 1990 levels by 2030.

Justine Greening: The Government are currently considering the recommendations in Committee on Climate Change's report on the level of the fourth carbon budget (2023-27). Government are required by the Climate Change Act to set the level of the fourth carbon budget by June, taking into account a range of issues including economic and fiscal impacts. The Committee on Climate Change assessed the cost of implementing their recommendations, and concluded they would be less than 1% of GDP in 2025. This is in line with previous assessments of the cost of tackling climate change.

Homeowners

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has assessed the merits of bringing forward proposals to assist homeowners who are unable to move house due to  (a) the state of the property market and  (b) difficulty in securing lending; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The Government recognise the importance of a sustainable mortgage market to support a stable housing market.
	The Government are determined that creditworthy borrowers looking to buy a home or move should have access to affordable mortgages. Our tough action on the deficit will help keep market interest rates low. The Government are also working with the Financial Services Authority (FSA), the Bank of England and international authorities to maintain stability in the financial system. This will help ensure banks and building societies have access to the funds they need to lend.
	Budget 2011 included a number of measures to encourage investment in the housing market and to assist first-time buyers. The Government's Plan for Growth also set out a number of reforms to the planning regime to help ensure that we increase rates of house building. This will be crucial to improving housing affordability over the medium term.

Housing: Valuation

Clive Betts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what research his Department has undertaken on measures to evaluate for the purposes of taxation the monetary value of domestic properties.

David Gauke: No such research has been undertaken.
	Aggregate information on the value of domestic properties is available for England from tables published by the Department of Communities and Local Government.

Income Tax

Dominic Raab: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of income tax revenue was derived from the  (a) first,  (b) second and  (c) third quartile of earners in (i) 1997-98 and (ii) 1998-99.

David Gauke: holding answer 3 March 2011
	Estimated proportions of income tax liabilities accounted for by individuals in the first, second and third quartiles of taxpayers by total income in 1997-98 and 1998-99 are provided as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Taxpayer quartile by total income  Share of income tax liabilities 1997-98  Share of income tax liabilities 1998-99 
			 1 3.3 2.8 
			 2 9.7 9.4 
			 3 19.6 19.0 
		
	
	These figures are based on the 1997-98 and 1998-99 Survey of Personal Incomes.
	Similar estimates for 1999-2000 to 2007-08, and projections to 2010-11 are available on the HMRC website:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_tax/table2-4.pdf
	An error has been identified in the written answer provided on 15 February 2011,  Official Report, columns 691-92W, to a related question, providing the percentage of income tax derived from the (a) top 1%, (b) top 5%, (c) top 10%, (d) top 25%, (e) lowest 50%, (f) lowest 25%, and (g) lowest 10%, of earners in 1998-99.
	A corrected version of the information requested is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Table 2.4: Shares of total income (before and after tax) and income tax for percentile groups, 1999-2000 to 2010-11, Taxpayers only 
			  Percentage 
			   Lowest  Lower  Higher  Highest 
			  Percentile Groups (ranged on total income before tax)  1%  5%  10%  25%  50%  50%  25%  10%  5%  1% 
			  Share of total income   
			  Before tax   
			 1999-2000 0.2 1.3 2.8 8.9 23.8 76.2 53.4 32.9 23.3 11.0 
			 2000-01 0.2 1.2 2.7 8.5 23.2 76.8 54.1 33.7 24.0 11.5 
			 2001-02 0.2 1.2 2.7 8.6 23.4 76.6 53.9 33.4 23.7 11.1 
			 2002-03 0.2 1.2 2.7 8.6 23.5 76.5 53.7 33.1 23.3 10.8 
			 2003-04 0.2 1.2 2.7 8.5 23.3 76.7 53.9 33.3 23.6 11.0 
			 2004-05 0.2 1.2 2.7 8.4 22.9 77.1 54.4 33.6 23.8 11.3 
			 2005-06 0.2 1.2 2.6 8.3 22.4 77.6 55.3 34.8 25.1 12.2 
			 2006-07 0.2 1.2 2.6 8.2 22.2 77.8 55.8 35.5 25.8 12.9 
			 2007-08 0.2 1.1 2.5 8.1 22.1 77.9 56.1 36.0 26.4 13.4 
			 2008-09(1) 0.2 1.2 2.7 8.6 22.8 77.2 55.4 35.6 26.1 13.3 
			 2009-10(1) 0.2 1.3 2.8 8.8 23.1 76.9 55.1 35.2 25.8 13.1 
			 2010-11(1) 0.2 1.3 2.8 8.8 23.1 76.9 54.8 34.8 25.2 12.4 
			
			  After tax   
			 1999-2000 0.3 1.5 3.4 10.2 26.4 73.6 50.0 29.3 19.9 8.8 
			 2000-01 0.3 1.5 3.2 9.9 25.8 74.2 50.6 29.8 20.4 9.2 
			 2001-02 0.3 1.5 3.2 9.9 26.0 74.0 50.3 29.5 20.0 8.9 
			 2002-03 0.3 1.5 3.2 10.0 26.1 73.9 50.1 29.2 19.7 8.6 
			 2003-04 0.3 1.4 3.2 9.8 25.9 74.1 50.4 29.5 20.1 8.9 
			 2004-05 0.3 1.4 3.2 9.8 25.5 74.5 50.8 29.7 20.3 9.1 
			 2005-05 0.3 1.4 3.1 9.6 25.1 74.9 51.7 30.8 21.3 9.9 
			 2006-07 0.3 1.4 3.1 9.6 24.9 75.1 52.1 31.4 22.0 10.5 
			 2007-08 0.2 1.4 3.1 9.5 24.8 75.2 52.4 31.8 22.5 10.9 
			 2008-09(1) 03 1.5 3.2 9.9 25.3 74.7 51.9 31.4 22.1 10.7 
			 2009-10(1) 0.3 1.5 3.3 10.1 25.6 74.4 51.5 31.2 21.9 10.5 
			 2010-11(1) 0.3 1.5 3.3 10.2 25.8 74.2 50.9 30.1 20.7 9.2 
			
			  Share of total tax   
			 1999-2000 - 0.1 0.3 2.4 11.6 88.4 69.5 50.3 39.6 21.3 
			 2000-01 - 0.1 0.3 2.2 11.3 88.7 70.3 51.5 40.7 22.2 
			 2001-02 - 0.1 0.3 2.2 11.1 88.9 70.8 51.9 40.8 21.8 
			 2002-03 - 0.1 0.3 2.2 11.1 88.9 70.5 51.5 40.2 21.0 
			 2003-04 - 0.1 0.3 2.2 11.2 88.8 70.1 50.9 39.8 20.8 
			 2004-05 - 0.1 0.3 2.1 10.8 89.2 70.7 51.4 40.3 21.4 
			 2005-06 - 0.1 0.3 2.1 10.6 89.4 71.5 52.9 41.9 22.7 
			 2006-07 - 0.1 0.3 2.1 10.5 89.5 71.8 53.5 42.6 23.5 
			 2007-08 - 0.1 0.3 2.1 10.4 89.6 72.2 54.3 43.4 24.4 
			 2008-09(1) - 0.1 0.6 2.8 11.4 88.6 71.7 54.6 44.0 24.9 
			 2009-10(1) - 0.1 0.6 2.8 11.4 88.6 71.5 54.3 44.0 25.1 
			 2010-11(1) - 0.1 0.5 2.6 11.0 89.0 72.3 55.5 45.3 26.6 
			 - = Negligible. (1) Projected estimates based upon the 2007-08 Survey of Personal Incomes using economic assumptions consistent with the OBR's November 2010 economic and fiscal outlook. These projections fall outside the scope of National Statistics.  Source: Survey of Personal Incomes

Income Tax

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to retain the 50p rate of income tax on incomes over £150,000 for the duration of the current Parliament.

David Gauke: The Government believe the 50% rate would do lasting damage to the UK economy if it were to become permanent. The Chancellor has asked HMRC to assess the revenue raised by this measure after self-assessment data for the 2010-11 tax year are available.

Income Tax: Overpayments

Michael Fallon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what was the average length of time taken by HM Revenue and Customs to complete a repayment to an individual who had made an income tax overpayment in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  if he will take steps to reduce the time taken for HM Revenue and Customs to make repayments to individuals who have made income tax overpayments.

David Gauke: holding answer 3 March 2011
	 There are many circumstances in which an income tax repayment may arise. Overpayments of income tax are normally processed by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) as soon as entitlement has been established. Information across income tax on the average length of time taken to process a repayment is not available.
	HMRC seek to strike a balance between good customer service, by ensuring customers receive the repayments to which they are entitled as quickly as possible, and effectively protecting the Exchequer from fraud. Once entitlement has been established, the great majority of repayments are issued without significant delay. Additional security checks may mean that a small minority of repayments could take a little longer to be issued while HMRC ensure that they are not fraudulent and are correct. HMRC is sorry that, particularly at peak times, this may mean that legitimate repayments may be delayed and understand the difficulties this can cause their customers.
	Over the last few years HMRC have made significant changes to procedures to speed up the issue of legitimate repayments and reduce any delays.
	Most PAYE overpayments are identified on the reconciliation of a tax year and payable orders are issued shortly after the overpayment has been calculated. For the first time with the new national insurance and PAYE system, HMRC is now able to undertake most reconciliations automatically, rather than having to work these cases manually.
	As a result HMRC has completed 98% of PAYE reconciliations for tax years 2008-09 and 2009-10 where they have received all the information. This has enabled repayments for 2008-09 and 2009-10 tax years to be made much more quickly than was possible under the previous PAYE system and NPS will support further processing improvement year on year.

Income Tax: Poole

Robert Syms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of people on low incomes in  (a) the UK and  (b) Poole constituency who will no longer pay income tax following implementation of his decision to increase the personal income tax allowance.

David Gauke: The increase in the personal allowance by £630 for those aged under 65 is estimated to remove the 260,000 lowest income taxpayers out of income tax altogether in 2012-13. In combination with the £1,000 increase in the personal allowance in 2011-12, the increases in the personal allowance announced by this Government will remove an estimated 1.1 million individuals out of income tax altogether by 2012-13.
	These estimates are based on the 2007-08 Survey of Personal Incomes data projected to 2011-12 and 2012-13 in line with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2011 forecast assumptions.
	Reliable estimates are not available at parliamentary constituency level, due to small survey sample sizes and significant uncertainties in projections for small geographical areas.

Individual Savings Accounts

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the effects on the long-term value of holdings in individual savings accounts of the policy to link personal tax allowances to the consumer price index measure of inflation.

Mark Hoban: The long-term value of holdings in individual savings accounts (ISAs) is affected by a variety of factors including fluctuations in asset prices, average dividend yields, average interest rates and households' propensity to save. No detailed analysis of the precise effects of using the CPI inflation measure on ISA holdings in general is available but the effect is thought to be relatively small.
	Further information is contained in the published Tax information and Impact Note (A31) of the Overview of Tax Legislation and Rates document to be found at:
	http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/2011budget_taxation_overview.pdf

Individual Savings Accounts

Robert Syms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to support savers.

Mark Hoban: The Government are committed to creating conditions for higher savings over the longer term. In particular, the Government aim to encourage more lower and middle income households to start saving and save more, especially for the long term and retirement. Government support should be fair and sustainable, focused on those who traditionally have saved least.
	The Government want a saving system based on freedom, fairness and responsibility, as well as ensuring lasting affordability and measurable effectiveness. These principles will guide the Government's aims of rewarding saving, supporting pensions, and helping vulnerable households.
	A number of measures have been announced which will take the first steps in meeting these aims, such as the indexation of annual subscription limits for Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs), meaning that savers will be able to pay an extra £480 into their ISAs in 2011-12. To ensure parents can save tax free for their children, the Government are developing a Junior ISA which will be launched in autumn this year. The Government are also introducing from spring 2011 a national financial advice service and a free financial healthcheck, delivered by the Money Advice Service (formerly the Consumer Financial Education Body). This new service will help people take responsibility for their finances and encourage them to think about savings and protection. In addition to this the Government have given individuals more choice over the use of their pension savings to provide a retirement income by removing the effective requirement to purchase an annuity by age 75.
	The Government have also confirmed that employers will have a new duty to automatically enrol qualifying employees into a minimum quality pension scheme from 2012. The Government believe this behavioural device can make a real difference; as a result around 4-8 million might start saving or saving more into a workplace pension scheme. The Government are also establishing the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) to provide a low cost pension scheme for individuals not currently served by the market.

Inheritance Tax: Tax Allowances

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the potential effects on the portion of a deceased's estate which is exempt from inheritance tax of the policy to link personal tax allowances to the consumer price index measure of inflation.

David Gauke: The inheritance tax threshold is frozen until the end of March 2015 and a CPI switch will take effect from April 2015. The impact of the measure on individual estates is uncertain as the exact thresholds will ultimately depend upon the inflation rates nearer the time. The current estimate of the impact is summarised in the following table.
	
		
			  Final costing, National Accounts basis(£m) 
			   IHT, CPI from April 2015 
			 2011-12 0 
			 2012-13 0 
			 2013-14 0 
			 2014-15 (1)- 
			 2015-16 20 
			 (1 )Negligible.

Members: Correspondence

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letters from the hon. Member for North East Hampshire of 21 July, 11 October and 20 December 2010 on his constituent, Mr Harris, Treasury reference 3/13766/2010.

Mark Hoban: I have replied to the right hon. Member.

National Insurance Contributions: New Businesses

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses had qualified for the national insurance contribution holiday for new firms on the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: holding answer 23 March 2011
	 By 28 March 2011, HMRC had received 2,892 successful applications for the regional NICs holiday from new businesses. A regional breakdown of the figures can be found in a recently released FOI answer:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/freedom/nic-holiday.htm

National Insurance: Income Tax

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the implications of combining national insurance and income tax will be for the income tax powers contained in the provisions of the Scotland Bill.

David Gauke: In Budget 2011 the Government announced their intention to consult on potential reforms to integrate the operation of income tax and national insurance contributions (NICs).
	In doing so, the Government have been clear that income tax and NICs will remain separate. This reflects the important role NICs play in providing entitlement to contributory benefits and the potential impacts on the rest of the income tax system from a full merger.
	Any change in this area will involve a wide range of policy and implementation issues, and require extensive consultation to get it right. The Government will start this consultative process later this year by publishing an initial consultation document on the options, stages and timing of reform. Wider issues, such as the interaction with the proposals in the Scotland Bill, will be taken into account in considering the options brought forward for consultation.

Pensions: Tax Allowances

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the revenue yield of restricting pensions tax relief to  (a) 20,  (b) 30 and  (c) 35 per cent.; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: HMRC estimate the yield of restricting tax relief in 2011-12 to:
	 (a) 20% is £7 billion,
	 (b) 30% is £4 billion,
	 (c) 35% is £2.5 billion.
	This is on an accruals basis and excludes behavioural effects. It takes into account the new restrictions on tax relief on pension contributions to registered pension schemes that will mean the annual allowance reduces to £50,000 from the 2011-12 tax year and the lifetime allowance reduces to £1.5 million from 2012-13.

Post Office: Bank Services

Kate Hoey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 16 February 2011,  Official Report, column 884W, on the Post Office: bank services, from whom research was commissioned on exploring the options for all customers to have the opportunity to benefit from direct debit discounts; and when he plans to publish such research.

Mark Hoban: The Financial Inclusion Taskforce commissioned research from Social Finance to explore the commercial viability of a new financial product (a 'jam jar' account) designed to meet the needs of low-income consumers by supporting positive financial management, smoothing expenditure and enabling access to better value services and products, such as direct debits. The research will be published on the HM Treasury website by 15 April 2011.

Public Expenditure

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the potential effects of recent trends in inflation on the value of spending allocations to Government Departments in each year of the comprehensive spending review period.

Danny Alexander: In line with usual practice, departmental expenditure limits for the years 2011-12 to 2014-15 were set in cash terms in the 2010 spending review. Settlements were based on the best forecast of inflation at the time, produced by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), and forecasts of inflation are always subject to change.

Revenue and Customs: Security

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many security incidents were recorded by the Security and Business Continuity Directorate in HM Revenue and Customs in each year since 2007.

David Gauke: We provide information about security incidents reported centrally within HMRC for the Resource Account and the Annual Information Risk Return to Cabinet Office.
	
		
			   Total 
			 2007-08 211 
			 2008-09 171 
			 2009-10 88 
			 2010-11 46

Revenue and Customs: Security

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff were employed in the Security and Business Continuity Directorate in HM Revenue and Customs in each year since 2007.

David Gauke: HMRC's Security and Business Continuity function has undergone significant organisational change since 2007. The number of staff employed in HMRC's Security and Business Continuity core function for each financial year since 2007 was:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2007-08 73 
			 2008-09 79 
			 2009-10 75 
			 2010-11 61 
		
	
	The figure quoted in respect of 2007-08 is on the basis of full-time equivalent staff in post, rounded to the nearest whole number, as at 6 December 2007. The figures for 2008-09 to 2010-11 represent the average number of full-time equivalent staff in post for each year, rounded to the nearest whole number.

Tax Allowances

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the potential effects on capital gains tax allowances of the policy to link personal tax allowances to the consumer price index measure of inflation.

David Gauke: A full assessment of the impact was made as part of the Budget decision making process and is available in the published Tax Information and Impact Note (A35) of the Overview of Tax Legislation and Rates document.
	http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/2011budget_taxation_overview.pdf

Taxation

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements he plans to put in place to ensure that persons of pensionable age do not incur additional tax liabilities arising from any merger of income tax and national insurance; and what estimate he has made of the transitional costs which would arise from managing such arrangements.

David Gauke: I refer the hon. Member to paragraph 1.77 of the Budget 2011 document available at:
	http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/2011budget_complete.pdf
	The Government will publish an initial consultation document later this year to consult on the options, stages and timing of reforms to integrate the operation of income tax and national insurance contributions (NICs).
	The Government will not extend NICs to individuals above state pension age or to other forms of income such as pensions, savings and dividends.

Taxation: Oil

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the level of revenue accruing to the Exchequer from taxation on oil production companies in  (a) the last four financial years and  (b) the next four financial years.

Danny Alexander: Government revenues to 2009-10 from UK oil and gas production are published as National Statistics on the HMRC website, in Table 11.11, at the following link:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/corporate_tax/table11_11.pdf
	A forecast of UK oil and gas revenues to 2015-16 was published at Budget 2011 by the Office for Budget Responsibility, in Table C.3 on page 92, at the following link:
	http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/2011budget_annexc.pdf

Taxation: Oil

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to Budget 2011, HC 836, whether he has assessed the likely extent of fluctuation in the level of revenue accruing from the tax on oil production levied on companies operating within the UK in the next four financial years.

Justine Greening: The Office for Budget Responsibility published its Economic and fiscal outlook on 23 March 2011. Selected tables from the report are at annex C of the Budget 2011 report This includes a forecast of UK oil and gas revenues from corporation tax and petroleum revenue tax, in table C.3 on page 92, at the following link:
	http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/2011budget_annexc.pdf
	The Economic and fiscal outlook discusses the UK oil and gas revenues forecast on page 110, and the impact of oil prices on the fiscal forecast in box 4.1 on page 111. A link to the full report is as follows:
	http://cdn.budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/economic_and_fiscal_outlook_23032011.pdf

VAT: Training

Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue he expects to accrue to the Exchequer in each year from value added tax on pilot training.

David Gauke: No such estimate has been made. The information is not available.